The night was beautiful and serene, the stars dancing in the late summer sky. It was a perfect night for an outdoor dinner party. The air was warm, with an occasional breeze just light enough to ruffle through the trees. Tiny white lights had been strung throughout the yard, accentuating the landscape like a silver thread through a masterfully woven tapestry. It was a beautifully set evening.
Miya stood at the edge of the deck looking beautiful in a black, slinky, low cut party dress. She looked out at the yard filled with tables of her closest friends. Their smiles and laughter touched her heart.
The evening had gone off without a hitch and she couldnât have been more pleased. As Miya scanned the guests with a careful eye, she sought someone in particular. She had seen him several times through out course of the evening, but she had to play the gracious hostess and not limit herself to only one guest. As she looked at every table trying to find Anthony, a group of single women waved her over to them. They were Miyaâs closest of close friends and they all seemed to be having the time of their lives. Miya raised a half-empty glass of wine indicating she needed to refresh her drink. Turning towards the kitchen, she ran smack-dab into someone and almost spilled what was left of her drink on the poor soul. Before she even saw his face she began a highly embarrassed apology.
"You never have to apologize to me, Miya," he said quietly.
She knew that low sexy timber. She looked up into his beautiful brown eyes and her breath caught in her throat. She knew she had to behave. But the brief contact with his body made her mind flash on hundreds of memories of their closely guarded past.
"Mmmm⌠just the man I was looking for." She all but purred and a wicked gleam flashed in her eyes. Behaving never came easily for Miya.
Nor did it for Anthony. He looked casually from left to right, then pointedly into her eyes. Though the smile on his lips would have seemed plutonic enough if their dates saw them chatting, Miya saw that devilish glimmer in his eyes. She could see the passion he tried to hide from everyone but her. She could almost feel his veiled desire as though it were a tangible thing. Miya gave a small shiver, and he smiled even broader.
"Youâre not playing fair, Anthony."
"
May I remind you, it was you that started this with that sexy tone of voice?
She had to laugh. Yes, she did indeed try to get to him using her voice, but he wasnât supposed to turn the tables on her so quickly. Then again, Anthony could always do that to her, instantly making
her
the prey.
"So, were you looking for me for any particular reason, or were you just looking in general?" he asked.
Still smiling she said, "Well, you know that I could just watch you for hours on endâŚ" She paused and chanced a grin so wicked that Anthony was caught off guard. "And speaking of which, have you spoken to Autumn about staying the night?" She hoped it sounded casual enough to anyone within earshot.
He smiled warmly, but his mind was reeling almost out of control. "No I havenât spoken to Autumn about it yet."
"Spoken to me about what?" the young girl asked as she approached.
"Well, there you are!" Kissing Autumn on the cheek, Anthony explained, "Miya was just saying that since itâs getting late, and we had the furthest drive back to the city, we were more than welcome to stay for the nightâŚ"
Both Miya and Anthony could sense that Autumn wasnât fully comfortable with the idea. Hoping Autumn would concede, Miya interjected. "Itâs just that these back roads are dangerous at night, especially if you donât know them very well. And Iâd hate to see anything happen to either of you."
All hope of protesting had been lost when Anthony added, "Besides, weâve both had more than a few drinks already and I donât think either of us should be driving."
"But I didnât bring anything with me," Autumn said quietly.
Miya smiled warmly at Autumn. She was such a young thing, and so deliciously naive. "Itâs completely up to you. But if you do decide youâd like to stay, Iâm sure we can find something in my closet you could borrow." Miya said sweetly. Then deciding to prey slightly on Autumnâs vanity she asked, "Youâre âŚwhat⌠a size five?"
Unknowingly swallowing the bait, Autumn said, "Actually, a seven."
"Oh Iâm sure I have something that small tucked into a long forgotten drawer," Miya said casually. Autumn beamed. It was all Anthony could do not to burst out laughing. He knew Miyaâs size in every garment possible. He knew without a doubt that Miya herself was a size six. But he loved how she played on Autumnâs girlish figure to win her over.
Deciding it might be fun, Autumn agreed and said, "As long as weâre not putting you out."
Anthony chuckled and told Autumn teasingly, "Believe me, darling, if we were putting Miya out, she wouldnât have us."
Miya laughed and said, "Why, Anthony, you make me sound like such a bitch!" Then looking to Autumn she winked and said, "But he does have a point."
Autumn smiled. She liked Miya. She was fond of Miya for a lot of reasons, but mostly because Miya seemed to carry herself so well in every situation. Autumn knew she would have absolutely died if Anthony had teased her the way he just did Miya.
The younger Autumn also admired Miyaâs beauty and was admittedly a bit envious about it as well. The two women had met briefly one night as Autumn and Anthony were leaving a restaurant and Miya was just entering. On the way home Autumn had asked Anthony a thousand questions about Miya. When Anthony asked her why all the questions, all Autumn could say was, "Sheâs just⌠so beautiful." Anthony handled her very carefully. Making sure not to step on her sensitive feelings, he assured the younger woman that her beauty rivaled that of Miyaâs. The truth was, Autumn was indeed every bit as beautiful as Miya, but in different ways. Autumn was much younger than Anthony. She was just slightly more than half of his forty years and had that fresh, wide-eyed beauty that accompanies youth. She had a certain naĂŻvetĂŠ about life and Anthony found that refreshing.
Anthony had only met Ethan briefly earlier in the evening, but it was clear that Ethan and Miya were a couple for the evening. Anthony couldnât help but feel more than a few pangs of jealousy as Miya openly flirted with her newest "friend". Especially the way she leaned into him, barely brushing her upper body against his as she whispered in his ear. Ethan smiled broadly (and all too deviously in Anthonyâs opinion), at whatever Miya said to him. He was obviously approving of what she said. Then as Ethan smiled, he looked over Miyaâs shoulder and directly at Anthony. Caught staring and unsure, Anthony gave a slight nod of his head to at least acknowledge Ethanâs glance. He hoped he didnât look as embarrassed as he felt. Thankfully Autumn rejoined his side and he had something to distract him from Ethanâs watching eyes.