Over dinner that night, Temi couldn’t seem to shake the feeling she had during her encounter with Mr. Hot-Stuff, the intensity of his gaze, the color of his eyes.

            “Temi… Temi,” Facundo raised his voice.

            “Hmm?” She looked up at him and realized she hadn’t heard a thing he said, nor had she eaten more than a few bites of her meal.

            “Are you okay,” he reached for her hand across the table.

She smiled and squeezed his hand. Was she okay? Why did this man unnerve her so much? Here she was with the most amazing man she had known in some time, and her mind was stuck on replay… replay of an event that must have been no more than a minute. “I’m sorry. I just had a weird encounter at the gym,” she smiled. “There’s this guy I believe has a thing for Thom. Well, I think he may think that Thom and I are together. Anyway,” she waved it off, “I think I just need give him Thom’s number; encourage him to call.”

Facundo ran his right hand down his face as if frustrated. “Why would he think you and Thom are together?”

Temi had not seen the change in his face because she’d turned her attention to her meal. “Huh?”

            “Why, Artemisia, would this man think that you and Thom are together?”

            “I don’t know. Maybe he doesn’t.” Seeing the anger in his face, she wasn’t sure what she had said or done wrong. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

            “I’m just trying to figure out why a guy interested in Thom would, in any way, think the two of you are a couple?!? I mean, do you behave like a couple?” Temi pulled her napkin from her lap and wiped her mouth. Then, she eyed Facundo carefully, anger rolling inside like milk in a pot, rapidly rising, about to boil over. She pushed away from the table. “Where the hell, do you think you’re going?!?”

She marched to the bedroom, paused to grab her bag, spun around, and began toward the front door. Facundo was there to stop her. “So, you’re not going to answer my questions? Why? Because you’re guilty?”

Temi knocked his hand from her arm. “You are insecure, offensive, and just plain crazy. The only person who would and should think that Thom and I are a couple is Jordan because we played it that way for his benefit. We wanted him to think I’d moved on without skipping a beat. However, everywhere else we are like brother and sister. I’m there for him, and he’s there for me. In fact, you wanna know something, all the clothes you’ve seen me in, Thom helped me choose for our” she moved the index finger of her right hand between them, “dates. He wanted me to look my best, so I would feel confident when I met you,” she then poked his chest as hard as she could. “You and I haven’t been together a week and you’re already jealous of my very gay guy friend. What is that?”

            “I just don’t understand why you have to spend so much time together. You work together, you go to the gym together, he has a key to your apartment, and now other men think you’re an item? How am I supposed to feel? Huh?”

Temi shook her head. “You’re supposed to be secure enough in the knowledge that I have chosen you. You should have faith in the connection we share and not suspicious of something that will never be more than a good friendship.” She looked at him, but he remained silent. “You know, tomorrow I’m getting together with my girlfriends for drinks. We usually meet every other Thursday, but they want to know how things have been going between us.”

            “How do you think it’s going,” Facundo’s voice was small… quiet.

            “To be honest, I don’t know,” she crossed her arms. “Listen, I think you should come to our get together. Thom is one of the ladies now, so he’ll be there. Maybe once you meet him, you’ll feel better about our friendship.”

            “Okay. You’re right.” He looked down at her bag. “May I take your bag back to the room?”

Temi wanted to stay but felt she needed to make a point. The point that she was not going to tolerate being treated this way. She could see now that the fire within Facundo ran deep; it could be passionate and intoxicating or accusatorial and self-righteous. “No,” she looked him in the eye. “I think I should go home.”

            “Temi, please…” she held up her hand to stop him.

            “Facundo, I need time to think, and perhaps you should use this time to reflect on all of this too.” She picked up her bag. “You need to decide whether you trust me or not.” Then she was gone.

Facundo stood staring at the door as he heard her drive away. He messed up, and he knew it. He wasn’t sure why he was so jealous, but he knew he wanted Temi in his life. Not feeling much like eating anymore, he went to his room, leaving the dinner dishes for the morning.

 Temi cried the whole way home. Never before had anyone accused her of cheating, and she was so angry. Not to mention being accused of Thom! “Thom,” she yelled his name aloud as if it were a question. “He’s sooo… gay!” She was so upset when she pulled into her parking lot that she didn’t notice Thom’s car. She just got out, grabbed her bag and walked up to her place.

            “Rush home for an orgy?” Jordan was standing behind her at the door.

            “Don’t you have anything better to do than watch the goings on in my life,” she asked without turning around.

            “Well, maybe if you weren’t making your whoring so obvious, someone could mind their own business.”

She rolled her eyes as she turned her key in the knob. “Most people have jobs to occupy their time and then significant others to fuck. So, tell me, what’s wrong with you,” she turned around. “Has your young thang petered out, or is it that you just don’t do it for her anymore?”

Jordan grabbed her by the throat and slammed her head against the door. Without thinking, Temi kneed him in the groin as hard as she could. When he fell at her feet, she kicked him before running into the safety of her home.

            “Shit, Artie, are you okay?” Temi was slumped and panting on the landing. She looked up to see Thom running down the stairs toward her.

            “Thom? What are you doing here,” she asked as he lifted her from the floor to give her a hug. She accepted it whole heartedly and held on tight. When he began to loosen the embrace, she opened her eyes to see Seth at the top of the stairs. “I’m disturbing your date,” she looked Thom in the eye.

            “Honey, this is your house,” he touched her cheek, and she smiled. “Now, how about you telling me what’s going on.”

Temi told Thom and Seth that she and Facundo had an argument, but she wouldn’t say what it was about it, only that he was being jealous about her going to the gym all the time. Then, she told them about her encounter with Jordan. How he said she was rushing home for an orgy, how she’d insulted him, and he grabbed her by the throat knocking her into the door.

            “I’m sorry.” Thom stood and raised his right hand, his let on his hip. “Did you say he had the nerve to lay hands on you!?!”

            “Thom, I’m fine. I kneed him really hard, then kicked him when he fell to the ground,” she tried to reassure him, but he wasn’t listening.

            “Seth? Okay babe, here’s the thing. That piece of shit ex-boyfriend of hers thinks I’m one of her lovers. Well, apparently, he now thinks you’re also one of her men.”

Seth, was a beautiful light skinned black man, what her mother would have called high yella. He was about an inch or two shorter than Thom, thin, with gorgeous big brown eyes and eyelashes a mile long. When he and Thom met, Seth was wrapping up his final year in the navy. Now he was in college studying engineering; he was very book smart but didn’t really understand people. “I don’t follow.”

            “Okay, lover, there’s nothing for you to understand. You and I are just going to pull our straightest faces and deepest voices, march over to Jordan’s and let him know that if he touches our woman again, we’ll break his legs at the knee.”

Seth gave Temi a questioning glance. She almost burst out laughing at his confusion. “No, Thom. You two are going to enjoy the rest of your evening. I’m going to bed.” She kissed Thom on the cheek, “Please, feel free to spend the night,” and went to her room.

The next morning, Temi was up at the crack of dawn texting Kenya, Sherica, and Tahleeah. She needed to let them know she had invited Facundo. She wasn’t really sure what their reactions would be, but she had to do something sooner rather than later. Quickly, she showered and dressed for work before beginning breakfast. Walking to the kitchen, she ran into a very naked Seth. “Oh, my God,” she averted her eyes.

            “Good morning,” he mumbled as he passed. Temi didn’t look up again until she heard the door to the guest bedroom close behind her.

For breakfast, she made steel cut oats with fresh fruit, and had the table set with everything but the coffee before the gentlemen joined her.

            “Good morning, beautiful,” Thom joined her at the coffee maker and kissed her on the cheek while Seth sat at the table.

            “Good morning,” she said with a raised eyebrow. “How’d you… sleep?”

Thom, who had grabbed a coffee mug stopped it just before the rim reached his lips. “Oh my God, did you hear us? Did we keep you up?” 

            “No,” she whispered then motioned, with her head, in Seth’s direction. “I just figured you didn’t get much sleep when I ran into your GI Joe going commando in the hallway.”

Thom’s eyes grew wide with embarrassment, but it was short lived as his amusement slipped in to take its place. “Well, since you’ve seen what I’ve been workin’ with, how well do you think I slept?”

            “Depends,” Temi eyed him devilishly. “If you worked hard and long, you may have slept just as hard, and feel rested. If you worked long but meh…”

He slapped her ass so loud that Seth sat up straight and seemed alert for a moment. “Bitch, you know meh is not my style.”

The three of them ate breakfast in general silence. Temi was concerned for her relationship with Facundo, Thom was tired from his all-night frolicking session, and Seth… well he was dead to the world, showing just how much older he was than Thom. When breakfast was done and the cleaning as well, Thom asked Temi if she would like a ride to work. However, knowing that Thom needed to drop Seth off at home before heading in, she decided to decline his offer. Not to mention, she wasn’t sure arriving with Thom to ladies’ night would be advisable with Facundo’s current attitude.

Work went along as usual: take a lot of phone calls, lunch with Thom, take more phone calls.  The only difference was a call from Facundo. He wanted to know if he should pick her up for ladies’ night. Well, just as she’d declined Thom’s offered lift, she declined his. Temi understood he was trying to make amends but couldn’t get the image of his cold accusing eyes out of her mind. Not to mention, they had only been seeing one another for a few days, so why was he already so possessive? There was something wrong with this picture, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. And… until she could, she would be driving herself.

Sherica arrived at the restaurant’s door just as Temi did, and they hugged before entering.

            “Mmm, girl, looks like we the first one’s here,” Sherica mentioned as they followed their waitress to the table. Tahleeah had called ahead to let the restaurant know there would be three gentlemen joining them tonight, therefore, rather than seating them at their regular table, Temi and Sherica were escorted to an area where three tables had been pushed together.

            “Glad Tahleeah thought to make reservations,” Temi was so nervous she wasn’t sure she’d be able to eat or drink.

            “Sooo…” Sherica eyed her carefully. “What’s he like?”

At first, Temi wasn’t sure she wanted to talk to Sherica about the ups and the downs, but she needed a confidante who was not Thom. Besides, she had known Sherica since middle school, surely, she could trust her after all these years.

            “Well…” she shrugged.

            “Don’t tell me he’s… a little guy.” She raised her hand and wiggled her pinky finger.

Temi rolled her eyes. “No, Sherica. He’s good in that department… really good,” she sighed.

Sherica’s brows came together in a straight line across her forehead. “So, what’s the matter?”

Temi sighed again. “He seems to have a jealous streak.” When Sherica still seemed confused, she felt the need to elaborate but made her promise not to say a word to anyone else. “Okay, here’s the thing, he’s jealous of Thom.” The creases in Sherica’s forehead deepened. “I know, right? Even though I have told him over and over that Thom is gay, he still has this deep seeded doubt in his heart. It’s like he thinks I’m going to run off with Thom any second now!”

“Girl, that’s crazy. Shit, if you had wanted Thom, you wouldn’t have gone lookin’ for him.”
“Right!?!” Temi was really wound up now.