Brenda’s tray clanged on the table as she unceremoniously plopped into the chair across from mine.

“Well, hello, stranger who is too busy receiving white roses from some mysterious man to make time for her very best friend. Or is it your piece on Dr. Endowed that has left no time for me?”

Looking up from my slice of pizza, I smirked. “Do you think you can refrain from calling him Dr. Endowed and just call him by his name like a normal person?”

“Hey, I resent that. I’m normal.” She laughed. “Fine, but you are no fun, missy. Let me rephrase my question. Ciaran, how is your piece about the charming Dr. Kean Bennett going?”

“Okay.” I shrugged.

“Just okay? That sounds kind of ominous.”

“Ominous? Really?”

“Yes, ominous. If you were hitting it out of the park you would have said – in a happy-go-lucky voice – ‘Oh, Brenda, I am kicking ass with this assignment. Shawna is going to give me a huge raise when she reads it.’” She finished the last couple of sentences in a high pitched falsetto thinking she was mimicking my voice.

I set the pizza slice on my plate and grabbed a cheap brown paper napkin from the dispenser on the table. I was struggling to keep from flashing a mouth full of teeth like the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland. It was extremely difficult because every time I thought of Kean, the teeth wanted to make an appearance. 

I wanted to tell Brenda about Kean and I, but was unsure how to explain the new plateau our relationship had reached. Were we boyfriend and girlfriend or just a causal booty call? It felt like so much more than a booty call but no matter how on board I was with his “I’ll try,” I was not sure how to label us.

This morning I had woken up in his bed with his arms wrapped securely around my naked body and instantly knew I never wanted to wake without him again. I was left warm under the sheets to doze, with a sweet kiss pressed to my head when he got up to cook us breakfast. Once we finished eating, we showered together where he had dessert. Sleepy and sated I was rushed out the door so he could stop by my apartment and drop me off before he headed to work. So far it made the top of my most favorite mornings ever list.

“Brenda, if I tell you something, do you promise not to repeat a word to anyone or judge me?”

“Okay, first of all who am I going to tell, and second, ME judge YOU. You’re kidding, right? You and I both know I am the last person who should be judging anyone on the face of this planet.”

She had a point. Some of the things she had confessed to over the years made parts of my body, that shouldn’t be capable of blushing, blush.

“Kean and I are kind of doing more than just asking and answering questions.”

“Kean? Oh shit. You just called Dr. Bennett, Kean. Is that who sent the roses? Oh My God, are you fucking him?” she hissed.

“Actually, it’s the other way around but trust me when I say I am a more-than-willing participant.”

In all the years I’ve known Brenda, it was the first time I’d seen her at a loss for words. It only lasted a minute.

“Holy fuck! You. Lucky. Slut! Wait, is that whose fancy apartment building you were crying in front of when I picked you up the other week? Did he make you cry? I’ll kick his ass.”

I nodded and then vigorously shook my head. “No, no, it wasn’t like that. I mean, yes, that is where he lives. We sort of had a spat but you don’t need to kick his ass. It worked out fine. I ran into him at the bar after Stuart went to find you at the table. Kean was having drinks with some colleagues at the restaurant and saw me with Stuart. He got kind of jealous.”

Brenda was quiet again as she looked thoughtful. I briefly wondered if she could tell I was leaving out half of what had really happened.

“Ciaran, I hate to be a Debbie Downer and all but Kean Bennett isn’t exactly the type of man you want to hitch your horses to. Not only has he slept with enough women to populate an entire nation, he is definitely not the type of nice guy you settle down with. You know, like the one you have been wishing for your entire life.”

And just like that, I floundered. She was right. Kean was not a safe choice and I knew it. It didn’t matter how badly I wanted to ignore his playboy ways. I recalled all the pictures of beautiful women draped over him that would forever be floating across the internet.

Shit, that hurt.

I wadded up the napkin in my hand and played it off. “I know. It’s not serious for either one of us.”

“Honey, when have you ever not been serious about the male species? Don’t look like at me like I just murdered your puppy. You know I’m all about the causal fuck. I just want you to be careful.”

I gave a short laugh pretending I was totally fine with casual fucking. I wanted to explain to Brenda that even though I knew Kean was the wrong choice whatever was happening between us felt like something more.

Brenda gave me a sly look. “I bet Melany is freaking out. All that money and smoking hot to boot. She is probably wishing she could get a piece of his dick or his wallet.”

The mention of Melany taking interest in Kean’s dick had my appetite hitting the road. I pushed my plate to the side. “I haven’t heard from Melany since she mentioned she was living it up in Cancun with some man named Estaban. She dumped Chris, the guy our age who flew her over there.”

“I swear that woman changes men faster than I change underwear. But to each her own. And the same goes for you, my friend. If you’re happy, then I’m happy.” Brenda shoved a fork full of salad in her mouth and asked, “How is old Stuart taking the news?”

“Stuart doesn’t know. Other than you, I’m not planning on telling anyone, yet. Kean is big on privacy and with Shawna pressing me to write about his personal life I’m worried about the news getting back to her. If she finds out, I know she will remove me from the story and expose him anyways to bring in money. If I tell Stuart he may tell Shawna. He hates Kean. Did you know they attended the same high school?”

Brenda eyes grew big. She paused chewing. “Seriously? And Stuart never mentioned it before? That’s odd. You would think he would have volunteered the information in the meeting room when Shawna first assigned the articles.”

“Yeah, I know. It’s not sitting well with me. I’ve been pissed with Stuart since I found out.”

We both grew quiet.

Brenda closed her lips around another bite of salad while I contemplated telling her about the threats. She had always been street smart. I’m sure she would have advice on how to handle them. She would also be an additional set of eyes on my back, which couldn’t hurt at this point.

“There is something else.”

“Holy shit, you’re pregnant with his baby!” Brenda yelled.

A couple of people sitting at tables nearby turned to gape at us.

“What? Shhhh. God, no. Don’t say things like that.” Although Kean and I had been using condoms, I made a mental note to check my pill case.

“I’ve been receiving threats.”

Brenda set her fork down as her brows furrowed. “Threats?”

“Kean has some things in his past that need to be left alone. Someone mailed me information about him and his father along with a couple of warnings. They want me to write about them. You know, include them in my assignment for all the world to read.”

“Are you fucking serious?”

“It depends on what you mean by serious. If it means a huge centipede left in a box at my front door along with a warning then yeah, it’s serious.”

“Oh my God, Ciaran, why didn’t you tell me? What did the cops say?”

“I didn’t call the police.”

Brenda raised her eyebrows like I was insane. “Why not?”

“Brenda, I can’t report it. If I do there is a chance the information will get out to the public and that’s what this person making the threats wants. I won’t let that happen. And I’m not going to write about it either. It may mean I lose my job but I can’t do it. It isn’t right.”

“So what? Some psycho is going to take you out because you are not doing what they want and you’re just going to sit back and let them? Ciaran, this is scary shit. Do you think maybe it’s Shawna who is behind it? You said she is putting pressure on you to write about Kean’s life.”

“I’ve thought about Shawna, but it doesn’t make sense. Why not include whatever she knows in the magazine herself? And then Stuart dropped a bombshell the other night at dinner. He told me Kean sexually assaulted a student when they were in high school.”

“Dr. Bennett assaulted someone? Fuck, Ciaran. How is he even a doctor with an assault on his record?”

“Kean was only suspended for a couple of weeks before they let him return to school. The girl’s parents dropped the charges and according to Stuart, Kean’s dad paid to have it all kept quiet. You know, Stuart could be the one sending them. In the same box as the centipede was the incident report from Kean’s high school. I received it after Stuart told me about the attack. He was pretty insistent I expose Kean for it out of retribution for his actions.”

“But that also doesn’t make sense. Why would Stuart tell you about it and then send it to you? It would point right back at him. Stuart seems so harmless anyways. That chump wouldn’t hurt a fly. What has Kean said about all this?”

“I haven’t told him.”

Brenda sucked in a sharp breath. “Ciaran, why haven’t you told him? This is important and it involves him. It concerns his life.”

“I know, I know. I need to tell him but I’m not sure how to go about it. He hates discussing anything personal and when I tried to bring up the topic of his father, he got really angry.”

“You have to tell him. Even if you’re not in a serious relationship he needs to know someone is trying to use you to get to him.”

I knew I needed to let Kean in on what had been happening, but I was nervous about approaching the topic. I’d hoped he would bring up his past without any coaxing from me. What if I brought it up first and he refused to let me in? It would crush me. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to recover from it. Even so, I was almost out of time. The deadline for the final draft of my article was in a few short days.

Trying to hide my relationship woes, I shifted my attention to my lap.

“Don’t be upset,” Brenda said. “If Kean cares about you at all, he will understand and be willing to help figure out who is behind all this.”

I nodded and smiled at my navy blue skirt as I attempted to tuck away my fears.

“You know what we need?”

“What?” I asked, forcing my eyes back to hers.

“We need a little mindless fun. Some drinkies, some little snackies and a bunch of shake your butt music.”

Watching the excitement dance in Brenda’s eyes, I laughed. A girl’s night sounded great.

When Kean had dropped me off at my building this morning, he had informed me he was scheduled for a late night at the hospital and wasn’t sure if he would get the chance to call. Brenda coming over would not only keep me company but stop my mind from obsessing over every little thing.

“Kean will be tied up with work until late. Can you stay the night? I’m not feeling like being alone.”

Brenda grinned. “Only if you let me spoon you, babe.”

I burst out laughing. It looked like Brenda and I were going to blow off some steam.

 

……………………..

 

“Where the hell are you?” Brenda whined.

“Sorry. I had to stop by the store to pick up wine and snacks. I bought two types of corn chips and three different cheeses so I could make us a plate of gooey nachos. Are you already at my apartment?”

“Yes. I just let myself in.”

“Okay, I’m down the block. I should be there in about five minutes or so.” I hung up and dropped my cell phone into my purse as I hurried down the sidewalk.

Several months ago, I had lost my only key to the apartment. At the time, my roommate – who had the only other key – had been out of town for work. I had to pay an extra hundred bucks to the apartment complex for maintenance to come unlock the door with their master key. I also had to wait three hours for them to arrive. After the ordeal, I decided a cheaper option was to make an extra key for Brenda just in case of an emergency. It came in super handy for additional reasons besides a lockout. For example, when I was hosting girls night and my bestie was on time but I wasn’t, she could simply let herself in.

Tonight was going to be a blast.

I missed hanging out with Brenda. Lately it seemed like we were both so busy. We hadn’t spent quality time together in forever.

“Honey, I’m home!” I yelled as I let myself in the door.

I tossed my keys into the thick glass bowl on the foyer table, dropped my purse beside it and kicked off my high heels.

Padding across the living room towards the kitchen with the grocery bag I called out, “Brenda?”

Where the heck was she?

It wasn’t until I stepped into the kitchen that I found her. Her twisted body was in a heap on the tiled floor. The groceries slipped from my hands. The sound of broken glass came from within the brown paper as the entire bag slammed next to my feet.

“Oh my God, Brenda!” I screamed.

I dropped to my knees next to her and shook her shoulders but her eyes stayed shut.

“Brenda, honey, wake up,” I cried.

When I didn’t get a response, I leaned close to her mouth to check if she was breathing. Warm air softly brushed my cheek, spurring me into action. Pushing up to my feet, I ran to the foyer table, grabbed my cell phone from my purse and dialed 911 as I ran back to where Brenda was.

By that time, I was frantic. The emergency dispatcher kindly but firmly reminded me twice to slow down before she assured me that an ambulance had been dispatched and was on the way.

As I waited with Brenda’s cold hand clutched in mine, I noticed a bright pink box of what looked like chocolates upside-down on the floor a couple of feet from where she lay.

“Honey, hang on. Help is coming,” I whispered as I crawled towards the box. Flipping the box over, a few truffles rolled out. A single white rose bud was tied to the lid. It looked exactly like the roses Kean had sent me, the ones that were sitting on my desk at work.

I didn’t keep chocolate in the apartment. It was far too tempting. Someone had sent that box.

My breath hitched in a sob as I crawled back to my best friend’s lifeless body. “Oh, Brenda, I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry. Please be okay,” I cried and grabbed her hand again. Tears streaming down my face, I waited for the ambulance.