CHAPTER 8

He stopped by the kitchen and picked up the leather jacket that he apparently had laid across the back of one of the chairs. I wondered what had happened to it while he had been kissing me and by the way that he was dusting it off, I assumed it had landed on the ground somewhere. I had to keep my mouth shut as he walked out the door. I knew if even a squeak came out then I would end up begging him to stay. He paused as he opened it to look back at me and then looked back as if he just remembered something he wanted to say.

"By the way do you know who started this rumor I was gay?"

OOPS, BUSTED LIZZIE.

My eyes widened innocently, and I shook my head unwilling to throw my best friend under the bus.

"Well, it needs to be corrected. Michael the mail boy has been flirting incessantly with me and I'm fairly sure daggers are in my back from his boyfriend,” he said shaking his head. "Call Lizzie, she's worried about you.”

I shook my head, bossy man. A giggle rose in my chest that broke into a peal of all-out laughter as the bewildered look on his face when he spoke of the rumor about him being gay kept playing in my head. I snatched the phone up quickly although, I was laughing so hard I could barely dial Lizzie's number.

She answered almost immediately.

"What's up? I'm almost there."

"Ooh, Lizzie, you're in so much trouble."

Lizzie and I decided to meet for dinner since Reed had interrupted my vain attempt to find food substance. We went to our favorite little place and speedily got set up with a glass of wine and a giant plate of delicious Chinese food. The Lotus Flower was the only Chinese place in town where you could get wine and food, which was why Lizzie and I had decided to frequent it on such a regular basis.

“So, what did you say?" Lizzie asked when I told her Reed gave me my job back.

“Lizzie, he didn't give me a choice he told me to be there in the morning," I said half chuckling.

I watched her closely to judge her reaction. This was the first time Lizzie had kept any secrets from me and I wasn't sure I liked it at all.

"Yeah, that sounds like Reed," she said with a secretive smile on her face.

I quickly pinned her down with a suspicious stare.

“Lizzie, I know you're keeping something from me, and I don't like it. Why didn't I know you and the handsome Jordan knew each other?”

“Jordan and I met at the club," she said with a sigh and a dreamy look on her face.

"The club you and I went to?" I prompted.

"Yes, that one. It's extremely particular about its members and very exclusive. There's always a line around the block outside the door of people just hoping to get an invite from other members. That's the only way to get in, to be invited." Lizzie stated as if it was common knowledge as she began to sort through her shrimp.

"What's the name of it? How on earth did you find out about it? How did you get in? What kind of club is it exactly that you have to keep the place such a secret?" I shot questions at her one right after another.

I was absolutely flabbergasted by her revelations.

Lizzie sighed. “Honestly, I'm not supposed to talk about these things with anyone unless I'm sure they are really into this. Most people just don't understand this kind of thing."

My mouth hit the table.

"Why the hell not? Lizzie, I'm your best friend. What is there about you that I don't know or won't understand?" I cried.

“It’s complicated," she said lowering her eyes, looking dutifully ashamed.

“LIZZIE!” I shouted, slamming my hand down on the table.

The sudden loud bang caused everyone to look our way.

Her eyes shot to mine in shock since I rarely raised my voice at her much less in public. I was just getting so frustrated. I needed to know what was going on with her, with Jordan, and especially with Reed. I took a deep breath to calm myself seeing since I really did understand how she felt. After all, I was hoarding my own little secret. One that would mortify me if it came out to the public.

“Look, I don't care what you do as long as you're not getting hurt again. So, please help me out here, okay?" I said quietly to her as I took her hand.

"That's what I'm afraid of. I'm afraid that if I tell you, you'll flip out on me. Or worse see it as some horrible affliction and try to get me locked up in some insane asylum somewhere," she said, looking totally miserable now.

I smiled at her, “Lizzie. Honey, if I didn't have you committed for your crimes against fashion in college then I think you're safe."

She laughed, "true, to this day I don't quite understand why you didn't call me out on the black hair and black lipstick.”

"You were going through a stage I knew it would eventually fade, I'm just glad it only lasted through the first year of college," I said teasing her.

"Come on, it was no worse than your overall stage. That lasted until all your overalls magically found their way into the donation pile," she teased back undaunted.

"Yeah, I wonder how that happened," I said knowingly.

"Yes, and you never did thank me properly," she retorted as she snatched a bite of my sweet and sour chicken.

The rest of dinner went by with a steady bout of teasing and taunting giving us both a chance to relax.

By the time we were heading home, the conversation had turned back around to work tomorrow.

“I still don't understand how you know Reed," I said when we got to my front door.

“He's the owner of the club and Jordan's friend," she said with a sigh of resignation.

"The club we went to? The one I got hurt at?" I asked to clarify her remark.

She nodded.

"What kind of club is it, Lizzie?" I asked outright trying to get her to answer me straight about what the club was all about.

I could tell by the way she hesitated she still was not going to answer.

"Ask Reed," she replied cryptically.

She gave me a quick hug and then raced off before I could pry any real information out of her.

"What the hell was that about?" I asked myself aloud as I watched her go.