Throughout college, I didn't spend much time creating relationships or pursing fun. I was driven to achievement; studying, working as a teacher's assistant for my professors, and becoming the president of the school business fraternity. I studied marketing and economics, so between the double major and all my extracurricular activities, I didn't have a time for a boyfriend. I'd always felt the immense need to prove myself. As a black woman, in the male dominated business college, I wanted to make sure everyone knew that I deserved a seat at the table. Of course, there were a couple flings and drunken hook-ups, but nothing major. Right after graduation, I was offered a position as an assistant fashion buyer with a huge retailer based in Atlanta. Despite not knowing anyone in the city, I was so excited to start a new journey in a new city.
I've been described as a pretty, girl-next-door type. At 5'2" and 120 pounds, I've always maintained a lean, athletic body type. Years of long distance running having sculpted my legs, thighs, and heart shaped ass. My flat stomach made it easy for me to keep up with the trend of wearing midriff bearing cropped tops. Caramel colored skin and a huge, shoulder length mess of tightly curled tresses, typically worn loose made it hard for people not to notice me.
Moving to Atlanta, on my own, at 23 was incredibly exciting. I rented myself a tiny studio in the midtown area because I was determined to not only excel at work, but also to develop an exciting social life. My studio was perfect, one exposed brick wall and exposed ducts along the ceiling — the place felt incredibly modern. I was so proud to have it! Decorating kept me busy for a while, filling the place with cozy chic furniture. A small, gray sectional covered in blush pink and ivory throw pillows, my queen sized pillow top bed, lushly topped in a fluffy white down comforter, along with girlish artwork and succulents made my place a dream come true.
Work was off to a good start too. There were four other assistant buyers who started at the same time as me. The hours were long and the work tedious, so we all became fast friends, able to easily commiserate over the rigors of the position and share best practices. Since several of the other assistants were new to the area, we also formed an easy group of friends outside the office. We frequented a midtown Atlanta bar on most Friday nights after work for Happy Hour and karaoke. We'd do planned outings around the city too; soccer games, music festivals, and clubbing kept us busy outside of work. I became closest to Gina. Pretty soon, the two of us were inseparable.
"Gina and Karen, always together," our other colleagues would tease.
But, I genuinely felt a connection to Gina. She really had become my best friend. I was able to share so much with her without feeling judged or having to edit myself. I'd found that other girls can sometimes be so catty that I'd find it hard to really connect.
Gina only lived a couple blocks from me, so we spent a lot of time together outside of work. Our favorite routine was a Saturday morning hot yoga class followed by a quick shower at the gym and brunch. We liked to do hot yoga because then we felt less guilty for ordering a second pitcher of mimosa at brunch!
It was during our Saturday morning hot yoga classes that I first got a really good look at how amazing Gina's body was. Since the room for hot yoga is heated to 105 degrees, and 40% humidity is piped into the room, you generally don't wear a lot of clothes to practice. Seeing Gina in her sports bra and short spandex shorts revealed that she was in excellent shape. Gina was a bombshell. Creamy white skin with piercing blue eyes, guys couldn't get enough of her. She'd typically compliment her gorgeous, ocean blue eyes with perfectly applied mascara onto her long lashes. 6 inches taller than me and 115 pounds, Gina was model thin and really commanded a room. Gina had light blonde hair, usually worn straightened and down to her middle back, if she was feeling lazy, or coming back from yoga, she'd pile her blonde hair into a top knot on top of her heart shaped face.
If we weren't too tipsy, we'd typically spend some time shopping in the afternoon or binge watching The Office at either mine or her place. After a quick power nap, either on the sofa together or sharing the bed, we'd both be ready for the night. Since we're both girls, it was never weird or awkward for us to share a bed, or to spend so much time together. Women are typically more comfortable letting other women into our personal space.
Our nights were generally spent bar hopping in Buckhead with other young professionals, getting free drinks from the guys hitting on us. The bars were fun, they played hip music and had good, strong drinks. Gina and I loved to dance. Most of the time, we'd both uber back home once our night was finished. Occasionally, I'd leave early to hook up with a guy I'd been flirting with on any given night. However, I never saw Gina hook up with anyone. I know that's not everyone's style, and she'd explained that she wasn't really into Atlanta guys, so I never thought anything of it. She never judged me for being a little slutty sometimes, and I loved her for it.
I'd hooked up a couple times with the same guy that we'd met out in the bars. Since the first times we hooked up, after randomly running into each other at the bars, we exchanged numbers and would hook up randomly whenever either of us needed a booty call. The sex was great, but he wasn't much to talk to. He had a chiseled frame; Crossfit was incredibly popular in Atlanta, and he wasn't immune to the craze. He had light brown skin and wore his hair close cropped. But his dick is what kept me coming back. He never hesitated to eat my pussy. He'd stroke my clit with his tongue, while he played with my nipples and get me sopping wet with anticipation. Then he'd slide his long, thick dick inside me and leave it buried to the hilt for what seemed like forever. The first stroke would always leave me shuddering with pleasure.
Every stroke after that would drive me further and further into ecstasy. His name was Michael, and while the sex was great, I couldn't see myself being in a relationship with someone I didn't enjoy talking to. After we finished our sessions, he'd always make sure to leave before morning and he'd never try to chit chat too much in our text messages. It was a great arrangement.
This Saturday was no different, after more than 6 months on the job, and 5 months as what can be described as best friends, Gina and I hadn't bored of our Saturday routine. Gina and I had confirmed on Thursday that we'd get together for 9 a.m. hot yoga on Saturday. But Gina had been a little weird all week, she seemed irritated and a little distant. Nothing overtly rude, just perceptible enough for me to pick up.
"Everything okay," I asked her during lunch on Friday.
"Yeah," she said, hesitant. Her eyes shifted down to her salad.
"Oh that's bullshit, what's going on?" I pressed, putting down my fork.
"Oh my goodness, you make a big deal out of everything, work has just been super stressful, I'm behind, that's all." Gina said.
I felt like she was lying, but I let it go, picked my fork back up and kept eating. I knew it'd come out eventually. I changed to conversation topic and moved on.
"Do you wanna karaoke tonight?" I said teasingly.
