Scandalous

"Kira Summers?"

"Yes. Who are –"

He removed his sunglasses. "My name is Khalid. Ms. Buchanan's personal assistant.

Kira blinked. She thought the tall man appeared to be Saudi Arabian, his speech leaned toward his natural Egyptian heritage. As she looked at his massive frame, he was not as husky as she once thought. She found he was just extremely muscular and fit. Though she admired his physique, his new association with Melinda automatically made him an enemy.

Kira gave him her best steely glare. "Personal assistant? She never had a –"

"She does now," he said, unfazed.

Kira shook her head as she looked in the car. "Where's Melinda? Theresa said she'd be here."

"She's busy. But she has a message for you. But first...," he trailed off as he reached toward her and deftly snatched the car keys from her hand. "I'll take these." He slid the keys into his pocket.

Kira exploded. "Wait! Those are mine!"

"Correction. These are Ms. Buchanan's." Khalid then motioned to the man in the car. "Awan!"

The second man, Awan Allam, sharing the same heritage and physical build as Khalid, stepped out of the driver's side of the car, carrying a briefcase. He walked to the rear of the sedan and set the briefcase on the trunk. Opening the briefcase, he retrieved a manila folder and handed it to Khalid.

Khalid reached into the folder, pulled out three sheets of paper and handed them to the valet attendant. "Here's the official title to the automobile, along with a notarized affidavit that I am the legal custodian of the car until I can return it to the rightful owner, Ms. Melinda Buchanan. The third piece of paper is a copy of my current driver's license to verify my identity."

The attendant quickly examined the documents, nodded, then handed them back to Khalid. The attendant, an amused grin on his face, glanced at Kira and shrugged his shoulders. "Looks official to me. He gets the car."

Sparks nearly shot out of Kira's eyes.

Before she could speak, Khalid again motioned to his companion. The man closed the briefcase, set it on the ground, then used the remote on his keys to pop the trunk. He quickly began to unload several brown paper bags and set them on the ground. He then pulled out two large garbage bags.

"Here are your clothes and other personal belongings," Khalid said. "Melinda had me pack up your things from the house."

Kira regained her voice. "What! First of all, I don't believe that she's actually kicking me out. Second, even if she were, I need to get my own stuff. How do I know you didn't –"

"I didn't." Khalid pulled out another sheet of paper and handed it to Kira. "Here's a notarized affidavit that I removed your all of your belongings, that I didn't forget anything and that I didn't take anything for myself."

Khalid then reached into his pocket and pulled out a small envelope. "Here's a message from Melinda. You'll also find a small payment that should at least take care of your cab fare home."

He smoothly put his sunglasses back on and strode to the Porsche. "Have a nice day," he said as he slid behind the wheel. In only a matter of seconds, he sped off, followed closely by the dark sedan.

Kira, mouth agape, turned to Lexi. She ripped open the envelope. Inside, she found cash and a single piece of paper. Her eyes widened as she counted out a mere, three twenty-dollar bills. Then, in a husky voice filled with raw emotion, Kira read the single sentence typed neatly on the thin piece of paper:

"Next time, before you brag about taking advantage of a lonely, rich woman, MAKE SURE SHE'S NOT STANDING RIGHT BEHIND YOU!"

Lexi was speechless as she peeked over Kira's shoulder to read the note. However, looking at Kira's face, she rushed to cover her ears as Kira's inhuman scream rang out in the parking lot.

~~~

After her lunch with Brynn, Noelle easily maneuvered the sparkling Lamborghini around Miami, though Coral Gables and straight to the Village at Merrick Park mall. As she pulled up to the valet, she heard an ungodly wailing from a pretty, golden-brown girl. She actually heard the scream before she ever saw the woman's face. Noelle quickly put the car in park, jumped out and ran over.

As she approached, Noelle was immediately struck by how attractive the woman was.

The fit and trim woman had long, auburn hair that had been tousled and teased into full, luxurious waves that flowed over her shoulders. She had impeccable makeup, complete with gorgeous ruby-red lips. She wore a deep-violet designer silk tube top with a pair of black short-shorts. Dangerously high heels made the golden-brown woman's rounded ass more pert and her legs longer and more luscious.

Standing next to her was a curvier, warm bronze woman, but seemingly more quiet.

Quickly she regained her composure.

Noelle cleared her throat. "Excuse me, ma'am? Can I help?"

~~~

Just by chance, Kira saw the jet-black luxury car before she ever saw the woman inside.

"Is that a Lamborghini Gallardo?" she whispered. "Damn!" Noticing the impeccable detail on the jet-black, high-priced vehicle, she turned up the dramatics to insure a meeting with its driver.

"Nooooo!" Kira wailed, thrashing her hands. "I can't believe this!"

As if on cue, the tall, slender woman stopped the car and got out, heading directly for her and Lexi. Kira noticed the woman's soft pink sundress with matching sandals and smiled inwardly.

Ahhh. A pink sundress? Kira thought. She must be demure. And that's a good sign. Probably means she's a pushover.

"Excuse me, ma'am? Can I help?" the woman asked as she walked up.

Kira bawled even harder, her crocodile tears burning her cheeks. After a few moments, she finally began to calm down.

"I'm sorry," Kira sniffed. It seems as if I don't have a ride." For extra effect, Kira mustered up a few more tears.

"What happened?" Noelle asked.

"Umm...my car...it just got towed. I'm stranded!"

Lexi's eyes widened.

Kira shot a look at Lexi. When Lexi cowered, Kira turned back to the woman. "Actually, we're stranded."

The pretty woman smiled as she eyed Kira up and down. "Well, maybe I can help. First off, my name is Noelle. And you are?"

"Kira," she smiled. "And this is Lexi. Thanks for coming to our rescue."

"I can definitely help," Noelle said. "But I have a few things to do first. So why don't you both come with me?"

~~~

Kira and Lexi followed Noelle as she led the ladies into the mall. "I just have to run an errand real quick," Noelle said.

Seeing that Noelle was heading straight for the Jimmy Choo store, Kira shot a glance at Lexi.

"What the hell? Jimmy Choo's?" Kira whispered.

Entering the exclusive store, Kira watched as Noelle walked right up to the counter, reached into her purse and handed the clerk her receipt. "Hi there. I'm here to pick these up, please?"

The clerk glanced at the receipt. "Oh yes, Ms. Douglas. We've been expecting you."

Kira smirked at Lexi.

"I'll be right back," the clerk said as she headed into the back room.

A few moments later, the clerk returned with two elegant boxes. She sat them on the counter. She opened up each box and showed the shoes to Noelle. After Noelle inspected each pair, she nodded.

Kira didn't miss an opportunity to peek at the shoes. "Damn!" she said under her breath. "She's got the new fall collection already? Those are the new metallic leather sandals! The new Leroys and the new Lexings!"

The clerk then put the shoes back into the boxes, slid them into an exquisitely designed bag and handed it to Noelle. "Thanks for coming," the clerk said with a warm smile. "Please come again."

"Thanks a lot," Noelle said. She turned to Kira and Lexi. "Ok, ladies. I'm ready to go."

Kira began to salivate even before they left the store.

~~~

Thirty minutes later, Noelle pulled up to the curb in front of Melinda's spacious home. "Wow," Noelle said. "You live here?"

Lexi snorted from the front seat.

Kira, sitting next to her, both of them squished into two-seater's passenger's seat, spun around and shot her an evil look. Then she turned back to Noelle with a smile on her face. "Well, just temporarily. My house is being painted from top to bottom, so I'm renting a place for a while."

"Some place," Noelle said. "Anyway, you have great taste!"

Lexi choked back a laugh.

Kira swiftly opened her car door and stepped outside. "Let me let you out, Lexi," she said sternly. "Go wait for me and I'll be there in a minute."

"Nice to meet you, Noelle," Lexi said as she stepped out of the car. "And good luck," she tossed over her shoulder as she headed up the driveway.

"Anyway," Kira said as she took Noelle's hand in hers. "Thanks for the ride. You're very generous."

"Thanks. You were a damsel in distress. I was happy to help."

"So. Seeing that I'm...displaced...you should take me out. In fact, I say we're going out tomorrow. For lunch."

Noelle laughed. "You're certainly upfront, aren't you." Then she remembered her lunch plans with Brynn. "Wait. I can't tomorrow. The day after is good, though."

"Ok," Kira said. "The day after for lunch."

Noelle smiled. "Lunch it is."

~~~

"So what's been up? What's new?" Brynn asked the next afternoon, her fork digging into a fresh bowl of pasta. They were having lunch at the Italian Rose Restaurant, one of their favorite spots in Fort Lauderdale, sharing a bottle of red wine.

"Well...I met someone," Noelle blurted out. "And we're going out tomorrow."

Brynn blinked. "Really?"

"Yeah. And she's cute."

Brynn took another bite. "Mmm hmm. You've said that before."

"And she seems sweet."

"Mmm hmm. You've said that before, too."

Noelle waved her hand. "Come on. I'm sure she's harmless."

"Ok. Now you're three for three." Brynn set her fork down and wiped her hands on her napkin. "Ok. Let's start from the beginning. Where did y'all meet?"

"At the mall."

"Hmm. When?"

"Yesterday."

Brynn nodded her head. "Hmm. Ok. Where at the mall?"

"Ummm..." Noelle paused. "At the valet booth."

"Hmm. The same day you took the Lamborghini." Brynn tilted her head. "Did she see you driving the car?"

"Ummm...yeah."

Brynn began to chuckle. "So she saw you driving an expensive car. Ok. What next?"

"Well...we went to the Jimmy Choo store. But it's not what you –"

Brynn slapped her hand on the table. "Ha! So she first saw you driving an expensive car, then followed you into one of the most expensive stores in the mall? You're batting a thousand! Go on, tell me more!" she giggled.

Noelle sighed. "It's not like that. Anyway, as I was driving her home, I –"

Brynn threw up her hands. "Tell me you didn't give her a ride home!"

Noelle looked down. "Yes. They needed a ride."

"They?"

"Her and her friend."

Brynn frowned. "Where were their cars?"

"Kira's car got towed."

"Kira? That's her name?" Brynn grunted. "And she doesn't have road service? And the other girl didn't have a ride either? And they didn't have other friends to come and pick them up? And they didn't have cab fare?"

Brynn shook her head. "You mean to tell me she'd let a perfect stranger take her home and let said-stranger know where she lived?" Brynn shook her head again. "Well, where did you drop her off?"

"Coral Gables. In front of this huge mansion. It was beautiful, really."

"Did she actually go inside the house, or did she just stand outside?" Brynn laughed.

"Come on!"

"Ok, ok," Brynn said. "Ok. What do we have? Perfect stranger. No car. And deadbeat friends. Sounds great," Brynn giggled. "She must have a nice ass."

Noelle flashed on Kira's fierce, rounded curves.

"Hmm." Brynn picked up her fork again and began to eat. "Your silence tells me that she does have a nice ass," she winked. "Ok. What next?"

Noelle waved the waiter over and asked for a glass of water. When he left, her shoulders sagged. "I don't feel like talking about it anymore."

"I bet you don't." Brynn leaned forward. "Sorry to tell you, but you got played, honey. Just chalk it up to niceassedness."

"What?"

"Nevermind," Brynn sighed. "Anyway, remember yesterday morning when we were at the gym and I told you that I had something for you? Well, I was going to wait to give this to you, but I think you need this now, more than ever." She reached into her large handbag and pulled out a small paperback book. "Here."

Noelle looked at the book's jet-black cover. "What's this?"

"Read it."

Noelle read the cover aloud. "Lesbian Domination and Submission? What the hell?" She tried to lower her voice. "Brynn, are you crazy? Are you freakin' insane?"

"Hear me out. Now, I don't expect you to actually go and get some whips and chains. But I do want you to start taking up for yourself. This chick was about to seriously drain you dry! And not in a good way." Brynn pointed to the book. "Just read it. And use it to get some backbone!"

Noelle turned the book over and looked at the back cover. On it, was a picture of a stunning, but blindfolded, chocolate-brown woman lying nude on a bed. The woman's mouth was open, as if in the throes of ecstasy.

Standing over her, was a light-complexioned woman. Nude as well, a stern look was on her face, and she held a long, pink feather that was tickling her mocha lover's flesh.

Looking at the picture, something began to stir in Noelle. She looked at both women and the passionate looks on their faces.

"I see that look on your face, Noelle," Brynn smirked.

"It's not a look," Noelle sniffed as she set the book on the table and pushed it back over to Brynn. "Besides. Why not just forget about her altogether? Why even bother with her, given that you think she's a golddigger? Why even bother with her?" Or with this book, Noelle thought.

Brynn pushed the book back over to Noelle. "Because you need to have some fun," Brynn said. "So read the book. Then turn Little Miss Wanna-Be-A-Rich-Girl out. Then, forget about her."

"You're so cruel," Noelle frowned.

"No. You're so gullible. Just fall for any sob story. And do you get anything in return? Hell now! And then you end up, cooking for girls, cleaning for girls. Hell, damn near waiting on them hand and foot!"

Brynn took a sip of wine, then she looked at Noelle's frowning face. Brynn sighed. "Noelle, we're friends, right?

Noelle nodded.

"Will you let me help you?"

Noelle nodded again, her head down, staring at the pattern on the tablecloth. Tears began to well up in the corner of her eyes.

"Ok. First, make sure you give me this girl's name so I can at least have our people check her out. Dig up any dirt, you know? But in the meantime, go on and read the book. See what it has to offer."

Then a wry smile spread over Brynn's face. "You never know, you just may have the time of your life!"

~~~

That evening, Kira sat in her motel room. Thankfully, Lexi had lent her enough to rent a small room for a few days. However, staring at the stains on the wall, the soiled burnt orange carpeting and the thick film that had collected over the furnishings, Kira made a decision.

"I've got to get out of here," Kira said after she dissected her appalling surroundings.

She went over to the table in the corner, dug in her purse and pulled out the piece of paper with Noelle's phone number on it.

"Well, Noelle," Kira grinned, "starting tomorrow, looks like you're gonna be my new Sugar Mama!"

~~~

At that exact moment, Noelle lay in bed pouring over the book Brynn had given her. As she read the erotic text, her facial expressions ranged from pure surprise to absolute disbelief.

"How do people go though all this?" Noelle wondered as she flipped through the pages.

"For example, 'A Mistress sets all the rules,'" she read aloud. Noelle blanched. "What rules? And why should someone tell someone else what to do? You can't treat someone like that!"

Noelle rolled her eyes. "I don't need this," she said as she closed the book. "Kira seems like a sweetheart," she said as she opened the drawer on her nightstand and tossed the book inside. "She wouldn't do anything to hurt me."

Noelle clicked off her bedroom light and drifted off to sleep.

~~~

Noelle waited in the Pink Rose café. She checked her watch. She frowned as she adjusted the collar on her dark blue blazer. Paired with a white button-down shirt and a simple pair of dark jeans, Noelle was all-the-way casual.

"She's already fifteen minutes late? Not good," she fumed. She took a small sip from her hot cup of green tea to calm her nerves.

However, when she looked up, she saw Kira. Noelle's breath caught.

Kira's thick auburn hair lay in loose waves well past her shoulders. Her golden brown skin had a gorgeous shimmer. She wore dramatic makeup, with gold and bronze tones, along with a reddish-gold lipcolor that complemented the soft tones of her skin.

She wore a fitted, deep-red silk halter dress with a sensuous, plunging v-neck. Her firm, rounded breasts jiggled softly as she strode toward the table.

"Sorry I'm late," Kira said as she floated into her seat. "Beauty takes a while," she grinned.

Noelle gave her a thin smile. "Sure. It's ok," Noelle lied. "You look great, by the way."

Though beauty was nice, tardiness was not at the top of Noelle's list of potential girlfriend traits. However, she had to admit, Kira was so stunning that she was willing to let it go for now.

"Thanks!" Kira beamed. She looked around. "So, you've been here before?"

"Yeah," Noelle smiled. "It's one of my favorite spots so I come here a lot."

Kira's nose crinkled. "Kinda small, but I guess it's quaint, huh?"

Noelle raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"I mean, it's not the Ritz Carlton, but it'll do." Kira placed the napkin on her lap and looked at Noelle. "Did you order us drinks?" Kira asked.

"Drinks?"

"Yes. I'm kinda parched," Kira said as she waved over a waiter. "Maybe you can treat us to a bottle of champagne? To celebrate our meeting?"

"Champagne?" Noelle took a deep breath and tried to keep her cool. "First of all, it's the middle of the day. I never drink alcohol this early. Second, we've really just met. And third, this is not that kinda place. It's just a café."

"Fine," Kira sighed as she turned to the waiter standing next to her. "Just a bottle of wine?"

Noelle raised an eyebrow. "Make that a carafe of apple juice, please."

"Yes Ma'am," the waiter said before sprinting away.

"Good choice," Kira quipped. "Anyway, what's good on the menu." She studied it for a moment, then crinkled her nose. "No crab? Or lobster?" She looked up at Noelle. "What kind of place is this again?"

Noelle sighed. "If you don't like it, I can leave right now."

Kira tossed back her hair. Then she put her elbows on the table and leaned in. The soft, rounded curves of her cleavage were on full display. "I'm not ready to leave yet," she said, adjusting herself so that the front her dress showed off even more of her bosom. "Can't we stay?"

Noelle admired Kira's golden-brown breasts and sighed. She saw the thick nipples stiffening under the silky material. Noelle watched intently, imagining her eager tongue rolling over the firm peak.

Kira let Noelle watching her for a few moments. Then Kira spoke quietly. "Listen. I think we may have gotten off on the wrong foot. So let's have dinner on Saturday," she said. "I'll come over to your place. I'll even bring the food if you like. We'll relax and smooth things over. What do you say?"

The wheels in Noelle's mind began to turn as she looked at Kira carefully. Suddenly, everything clicked.

"Ok," Noelle said with a bright smile. "Saturday it is."

~~~

Later that night, Noelle's thoughts swirled as she drove along A1A back into Miami Beach.

She'd spent the rest of the afternoon in Fort Lauderdale, lying on the hot, sandy beach. With pen and paper in hand, she watched the gentle, rippling waves of the ocean, and sketched out ideas for her new collection of paintings. She vowed that this Water collection, the second in her series about the Elements would be her best work yet.