Marissa & Mr. White: (Sexy Contemporary Romance) (3 page)

"What's missionary?"

Bianca's mouth hangs open. She looks up to the ceiling as if
asking God for help then turns back to me. "What's missionary? Seriously,
Rissa?"

My shoulders rise and fall.

She shakes her head. "I'm gonna need a drink."

Bianca returns to her bedroom with a glass of sangria. She
sits on the bed then takes a long sip. “This is too delicious. Maybe I should
start selling this stuff.” She sticks her finger into her glass and picks out a
strawberry that has been sliced in half. “Mmm. Delish. Okay.” She sucks the
liquid from her fingers then looks at me. “So back to you missy. Missionary is
the sex position when the guy is on top.”

“Oh. I just call it ‘the guy on top’. I didn’t know it had an
official name.” Bianca doesn’t say anything. She just stares at me. “Stop
looking at me like I’m stupid.” I toss Mr. Rabbit at her.

“You’re kind of on the borderline, Rissa.” She laughs.

“I’m not stupid. I’m
inexperienced
. There’s a
difference.”

She nods. “You’re absolutely right. But just for your FYI, all
positions have an official name. I have something that will get you up to
speed.” Bianca walks over to her bookcase, picks out a book then tosses it into
my lap.

I look down at the front cover. “Kama Sutra 100 Sex
Positions.” I shake my head then toss the book onto the bed. “Bianca, I am not
reading that book.”

She puts the book into my lap again. “You need to read it. I’m
not telling you to try all the positions, Rissa. I’m just saying that there are
a few in there that may interest you.”

“But I like missionary.” I poke my bottom lip out.

“Rissa, as your best friend in the whole wide world I have to
be honest with you. If you don’t break out of your sexual shell, you might not
ever keep another man. That’s just how the world works these days. Times are
different and you have to stay current.”

“Stay current? You sound like having sex is a trend or
something.”

“I’m not saying that it’s a trend but guys expect different
things than when our grandmothers were growing up. They want excitement,
adventure, and spontaneity. They don’t want just missionary.”

I know this already. This is the exact same thing that Richard
had told me a few times before he walked out on me. “Maybe I’m just not capable
of being sexually exciting or adventurous or spontaneous. Maybe I’m just
capable of being a missionary girl. That’s not so bad. There has to be men out
there that like that.”

“Yeah there is. And you know what we call them?”

“What?”  

“Grandpa.”

I try to suppress the laugh that wants to escape my mouth but
the serious look on Bianca’s face causes me to erupt. “You are too much, Bee.”

“I’m serious, Rissa. Only old men like missionary. If you want
a hot, sexy, young tenderoni like Romeo, for instance, you have to be more
open-minded in the bedroom. We don’t want to have another Richard episode now
do we?”

Just the mention of his name completely wipes every trace of
happiness from my face. “Do you have to bring him up? I’m trying hard to get to
a place where he’s not my every thought. I feel so pathetic sometimes when I
think about why he left and
how
he left. Like who leaves in the middle
of sex? Well, trying to have sex. I’m lying there naked waiting on my boyfriend
to come back after he’s calmed down, and that was the last I heard from him. No
phone call. No text. No email. No smoke signal. Just,
Rissa why are you
being so difficult?
Then he dresses and leaves. Six months later and it
still seems unreal. Like something my mind just made up. Sometimes I even
question did Richard really exist? Was he really my high school sweetheart? Did
we really spend every day together in high school for two years? Was he really
my best friend? Did he really leave me because I wasn’t sexually adventurous
enough?” I shake my head and squeeze my eyes tight to keep back the tears that
threaten to make an appearance.

“We have to face reality here, Rissa. No matter how crazy or
hurtful it is. I hate what Richard did to you. And not to take his side, I do
understand it. We grow apart. We experience different things in life and want
to explore different things in life and sometimes in a relationship if both
people aren’t moving at the same pace then, inevitably, one person moves on.”

“But Richard loved missionary.”

“Until he didn’t.” Bianca takes a sip of her sangria.

“Everything was good between us. Had been good since our first
time having sex our junior year in high school. I didn’t get any complaints
from him until he became a pilot and started flying all over the country. I
guess he started meeting girls that are a little more ‘out there’ than I am. He
tried bringing it back to the bedroom and I just wasn’t comfortable with it.
The moment I started telling him no, is the moment he became distant. He
started taking extra flights. We rarely saw each other the last few months of
our relationship. It went from being about spending time together to just
wanting to have sex. I felt like he was losing interest. So in a way I’m not
surprised that our relationship ended, I’m just a little taken aback by how it
ended.”

“As the saying goes, just because we love them doesn’t mean we
are meant to be in a relationship with them. We can look at this as a setback
or a setup.”

My brows furrow. “A setup?”

“Yeah. We can look at this breakup with Richard as a setup for
getting you to realize that you need to expand your horizons. You have to stop
playing everything so safe, Rissa. You can’t go by the book on everything in
your life. Some rules are made to be broken and if you aren’t ready to be a
total rebel and break the rules, then at least be ready to bend the rules a little.”

“I don’t think I play things safe. What’s wrong with just
taking the straight and narrow path in life?”

“Besides the threat of dying from boredom? Umm, nothing’s
wrong with taking the straight and narrow path. Look, I’m not asking you to do
bad things just for the fun of it. All I’m trying to get into your head is that
you should be more willing to try new things. Don’t say no just because you’ve
never tried something before. How will you ever know if you will like something
if you never try? We are in our twenties, Rissa, if you’re going to get wild
and crazy then this is the perfect time to get wild and crazy. Your twenties
are all about self-discovery, exploring all the possibilities, seeing what you
do or don’t like, what you do or don’t want. So by the time you hit thirty
you’ve explored enough to know what floats your boat.”

I twirl my hair around my finger. “I agree that this is the
time for self-discovery and exploration of new things. But I’m not sure if I
want to become a slut bucket just because I’m in my twenties.”

“I’m not saying to become a slut bucket. Being open and
willing to try new things applies to monogamous relationships too. What do you
think keeps long-term relationships hot and sexy? Damn sure not doing
missionary every freaking night.”

I can’t help laughing. “You’re not going to let me live that
one down are you?”

Bianca picks up the Kama Sutra book and flips to the table of
contents. “I’m going to show you some of the simple, yet common, sex positions
that can reeve up your sexual lifestyle just a notch. It’s nothing too
complicated but since you’re a one trick pony, sort of speak, anything would be
a step up for you.” She laughs.

“Whatever.” I roll my eyes but I scoot closer to her so I can
see what she’s reading.

“Okay, here is one that you can try. It’s called the Glowing
Triangle. It’s similar to your beloved missionary, but the difference is, the
guy is on all fours and you will have to position yourself on his dick and you
are basically doing all the work versus the other way around when the man is
doing all the work in the regular missionary.”

I look at the diagram. “That doesn’t look too bad. Now if
Richard would’ve asked me to do that, I would’ve tried it.”

Bianca gives me a sideway glance.

“I would have.” I turn my gaze back to the book. “Can we move
on please,” I say without looking at her.

“Okay, so we have the Glowing Triangle. So now let’s look at
another simple yet fun one for you. Hmm. Let’s get you on top.” Bianca thumbs
through the pages. “The Slide. This is pretty easy.”

I look at the illustrated couple. “Hmm.”

“It’s easy and should be very pleasurable for you. You just
lie on top of him with your legs together, once he penetrates you just rub up
and down his body. Simple.”

“I’ve never been on top before.”

“And this is why you need this book.” She snaps the book shut.
“As you can see not all sex positions have to be so ‘out there’ as you have
made yourself think. This can actually be a fun thing for you. I’ve just given
you two simple ones to try out on the next man you date.”

“Oh no. I’m not dating anyone for a long time. I don’t think
that I can handle another heartbreak.”

“Okay, no dating. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t have
sex.”

I shake my head. “I’ve never just had sex with a man that I
wasn’t in love with.”

“There’s a first time for everything.”

“Thanks but maybe I can just try these positions out when I do
decide to give dating another try.”

“Rissa, you have to learn new things other than missionary to
keep a man satisfied. Nowadays men want a lady in the streets and a freak in
the sheets. If I leave this up to you, you’ll never come out of your sexual
cocoon.”

“I’m just scared to put myself out there again. Richard has
really shaken my confidence when it comes to pleasing a man. And considering
I’m lacking so much in the sexual department, which seems like it trumps love
these days, I don’t even know if I’m able to compete with these girls.”

“I’m here to help you with that. I got your back, Rissa. I
don’t have the most experience in the world but I’ve had enough to know one thing
that you must never, ever, ever forget.”

My eyes widen with curiosity. “What’s that?”

“What you won’t do, there’s always another chick that will.”

I nod slowly. “Right. What I won’t do, there’s always another
chick that will.”

“Now, I’m not saying that you shouldn’t have boundaries, we
all have boundaries. But we should be open-minded.”

“I get it. Be open-minded, it’s okay to have boundaries, and
what I won’t do another chick will.”

“Right. Now, I know that you don’t want to get back into the
dating scene just yet so I have another solution to help you get some practice
with those new sex positions you’re going to read about in that book.”

My brows furrow. “Practice how?”

“What do you mean, practice how? How else can you get practice
in sex without having sex?”

I shake my head. “I need to know the person and right now the
guys I am surrounded by are the ones that I work with and I’m definitely not
sleeping with a co-worker. I know enough to know that’s not a smart idea.”

“Lucky for you I know just the place to take you.”

“Where?”

“Club Masquerade.”

“Bee, you know I’m not a club person.”

“It’s not a dance club.”

“It’s not a dance club?”

Bianca shakes her head.

“Then what’s at this club?” I ask not sure if I really want to
know the answer.

A sly smile etches across her face. “Masked men and multiple
orgasms.”

“Are you serious?” I ask. Of course she’s serious. When it
comes to the wild and crazy, Bianca is always serious.

“Everyone at the club wears masks so no one can identify each
other. It’s the perfect way for you to let go of all your sexual inhibitions
without the fear of being judged.”

I shake my head. “I don’t think I’m ready for that.”

“Of course you are.”

“Of course I’m not. I could never have sex with a man that I
don’t know.”

“Of course you can. It’s easy. You buy a masquerade mask, you
were some sexy lingerie, you go to the club, with me of course, and you pick
out the dude you want to bone and you bone him. Simple as one, two, three.”

“Simple for someone like you that’s already done it before. No
offense but I’m not like you. I don’t do one night stands.”

Bianca takes a sip of her sangria. “No offense taken. You want
to learn how to be more open-minded about sex right?”

I nod. “That’s why I have agreed to read this book.” I hold up
my new encyclopedia of sex positions.

“Reading the book is just the beginning, Rissa. You have to
put what you learn into practice or how else are you going to know if you have
comprehended that which you have studied?” Bianca straightens her back and
smiles. “I sounded so educated when I said that huh?”

I roll my eyes. “Yes,
very
educated. I guess that sixty
thousand a year at Emory has paid off.”

She pushes me jokingly. “Anyway, as I was saying. Look at it
this way, Rissa. It’s like a test at school. The teachers give you the book on
the subject, list a few chapters for you to read to get you familiar with it, then
they test you on the material. That’s what I’m doing essentially. Unfortunately
for you your best friend is a girl or else I would gladly let you use me to
test. But I have a vajayjay and not a dick so Club Masquerade has to do the
testing for us.”

“I just don’t know how comfortable I’m going to be. I’ve never
had sex with a guy I don’t know and in front of people.”

“You don’t have to be in front of people. There are private
rooms there. So this is how it works. You go inside the club and you look
around until you catch the eye of someone that you’re attracted to. Once you
find him, you can tell him what you’re open to doing. If I was you, being that
you are doing this for the first time, I would be honest with him. Let him know
that you are looking to try new things but you want to take it slow because—”

“Because I’m so pathetic in bed that my boyfriend broke up
with me.” Just saying that causes my heart to swell with hurt again.

Bianca gives me a “girl, don’t even go there” look. “You want
to take it slow because it’s been awhile since you’ve been with someone and
you’re just getting your feet wet again.”

“I don’t know, Bee. It sounds so easy when you say it but
that’s a whole other world for me. I don’t know how I would handle myself in
that environment and I don’t want to get there and clam up with this stranger.
It’s one thing for Richard to walk out on me but to have a complete stranger
tell me that I suck would be too much to handle.”

Bianca rolls her eyes. “Would you quit it already? No one is
going to tell you that you suck. If anything, you may be the one saying the he
sucks. I’m not guaranteeing that you will get the best sex ever. I’m just
saying that this is a good way to try out a few of those sexual positions from
the Kama Sutra book. You can get your practice in without having to date
anyone. You said yourself that you are not ready for dating. Right?”

I nod.

“Okay. This is a no strings attached situation. They don’t know
your identity and you don’t know theirs. It’s just sex.”

“I…”

“You know how you want to get that promotion at work, right?”

“Yes.”

“Well to get that promotion you have to do stuff that you may
not necessarily be good at or want to do to impress your boss enough to make
him think that you are qualified for the promotion.”

“Yes, but that’s different. That’s my livelihood. I can
honestly live without sex.”

“No one can honestly live without sex.”

“What about nuns and priests. Oh and monks. They all live
happily without sex.”

“Rissa, that’s because they have never had sex. It’s easy to
go without something that you’ve never had, because honestly you don’t know
what you’re missing. Trust me, once you’re popped, you can’t stop.” She wiggles
her eyebrows.

“That was so lame. Oh my gosh.” I laugh at her horrible joke.

“The best advice I can give you is to stop thinking so much.
You’ll think your way out of a good time, every time, if I let you. So…if all
parties agree, let’s go get that promotion girl!” Bianca smiles wide then holds
up her hand for a high five.

I stare at her hand hanging patiently in mid-air. What do I
really have to lose? It’s not like I’m a virgin. I can always change my mind.
No one is holding a gun to my head. But then again, I’m also a person who
sticks to her word so if I seal the deal with this high five then I’m literally
signing my name in blood on the dotted line and Bianca will not let me back
out. Okay I’m thinking entirely too much. Bianca is right. I’ll think myself
out of a good time if I let myself. Okay. I’m twenty-two now. I need to live a
little. Maybe this won’t be too bad. I bite on my bottom lip then slowly raise
my hand to meet hers.

A wide grin spreads across Bianca’s face as she slaps her palm
against mine. “Good. We’re gonna have so much fun, Rissa. You’ll see.” Bianca
winks before leaving the room with her empty wine glass in hand.

Masked men and multiple orgasms. Oh boy.

I wait until Bianca is sound asleep before I take my phone out
of my purse and log onto my Facebook page. I open up my photos and walk down
the digital memory lane of my relationship with Richard. I don’t know why I
haven’t taken these photos down. Maybe because in the back of my mind I’d kind
of hoped that he would realize the mistake that he’d made by letting me go and
come back begging for another chance. Six months have gone by and not even a
text, call, or email from him. I guess the fact that he unfriended me on
Facebook should’ve been a clue that the chance of him crawling back was slim to
none.

I search for his name then click on his page. I can only see a
few of his pictures since we’re not friends. He changed his profile picture
since the last time I visited his page. Which was two weeks ago. Pathetic, I know.
Hmm. This must be his new girlfriend. I click on the photo. A beautiful girl’s
face is pressed against his. Dark brown waves with platinum blonde streaks
cascade over her shoulder. Her sultry eyes stare into the camera. She’s tagged
as Jena Abrams. My eyes leave her
perfectly
glossed lips and lands on
her
perfectly
sculpted boobs sticking out of her white polka dot halter
top. Yeah, Jena definitely looks
open-minded.
I’m sure that her sexual
positions go way beyond “the guy on top”. I stare at Richard’s cheesy grin for
a few more seconds before logging off.

I’ll take that album down tomorrow.

Monday…

I step off the elevator and bypass the receptionist desk. I
walk down the hall and stop in front of the dark cherry wood door marked Harold
Chase, Marketing Director in brass letters. I knock on the door.

“Come in.”

I slowly turn the doorknob. “Good morning, Harold.”

“Marissa, good morning, dear. Have a seat.”

I sit in front of his huge desk in the charcoal plaid chair.
My lower lip twitches. My lower lip always twitches when I’m nervous. I don’t know
why I’m nervous. I’ve talked to Harold a gazillion times over the course of my
life. But this time it’s really important. This time if I don’t get a yes, I
don’t know what I’m going to do. I need him to show favor upon me just one more
time.

He looks at me over the rim of his glasses. “Marissa, relax.”
A fatherly grin warms his face. 

I take a deep breath. It’s hard to relax. Over the past two
weeks so many people have stepped into this very office. People that I’m sure
have their degrees already and that are more qualified than I am for this
Executive Assistant position. “I’m just going to ask because it’s killing me.
Did I get the promotion?”

Harold takes off his glasses and places them on his desk. He
leans forward then laces his fingers. “Marissa, I have some good news and
some…possibly not so good news.”

My lower lip twitches again. “Okay.”

“The good news is I’ve decided that I want to give you the
opportunity to take this position.”

My mouth hangs open. “Oh my goodness.”

Harold holds up his hand. “That’s the good news.”

I slowly close my mouth. “Okay. The not so good news?”

“The not so good news is I’m leaving the company.”

My brows furrow. “You’re leaving the company? Why didn’t you
tell me that before I applied for the position?”

“I didn’t want you to use my leaving as an excuse not to apply
for the job. My last day is Friday. I’ll be moving my family to California. My
dad is retiring, and he wants me to take over as Chief Marketing Officer of our
family business. Since my other two brothers are tied up in their own thing, I
thought that it would be the best decision for my family and me. Besides, my
parents are getting older and I would really like to be closer to them. And not
to mention my wife has a sister in California that she would like to be closer
to as well. It just makes sense at this point in our lives to make this
transition.”

I can’t believe what I’m hearing. Besides Bianca’s mom, Harold
is literally the only “family” that I have left. He’s been there for me all of
my life. He and my mom had always been close friends since high school. He’s
the main reason why I’m even working at this company.

“This sucks. I mean…let me start over.” I take a deep breath
to collect my thoughts. “I’m happy that you are going to work for your father’s
company. And the fact that you’ll closer to family is great. I know how
important family is," —I bite back tears— “I know how important family is
but I just have to ask. What does that mean for me? I desperately need this
promotion but if you are leaving does that mean that I don’t get it?”

He shakes his head. “You will start in the new position as
early as Monday. If you should choose to take it.”

“If I should choose to take it?” My lower lip twitches again.

“There has been some changes to the position since I am now
resigning as Marketing Director. When we posted the position a month ago, it
was listed as full-time but since I’m leaving they have officially pegged this
as a temp-to-hire position now. Hire contingent upon the approval of the new
Marketing Director and the pay increase doesn’t go into effect until after the ninety-day
probationary period. That’s also a part of the not so good news.”

A new Marketing Director and no immediate pay increase. Dang
it. ”Why did they change it?” I ask.

“The new person is Austin White, the CEO’s nephew. He’s at
liberty to hire someone else as his Executive Assistant, if he sees fit. He’s allowed
to find an assistant that gels well with his personality and work style.”

“So you’re telling me that I could lose the job if the new
Marketing Director doesn’t like me?”

He rubbed his eyes. “Unfortunately, that’s how the politics
work.”

“So what does this mean?”

“It means, Marissa, that you have a choice. You can stay as
the receptionist or you can take on this position. If he chooses not to hire
you, it’s possible that you could be out of a job.”

Well that just took the wind out of my sail. I can’t lose my
job. I
need
this job. I need this Executive Assistant position. The
thirty-kay pay increase will be a lifesaver. I can keep my mother’s house, get
caught up on my car payments, begin to save, and finally go back to school.

“Do you need time to think about it?” Harold asks.

“I know I need this pay increase, Harold. There’s no question
about that. The fact that I have to wait an extra ninety days for it, sucks.
I’m not going to lie.” I exhale through my frustration. “I’ve never worked as
an assistant before and I know transitioning with you around would make it a
lot easier and you’ll give me room to learn. But this Austin White guy may not
be so lenient. He may be expecting me to have this assisting thing down pack.
And I don’t.”

“Marissa, I won’t lie to you. This job is very demanding. You
are the right hand man for the Marketing Director. His personal gatekeeper.
Sheryl was with me for fourteen years, so she made it seem easy. But depending
on the type of person you work with, it can be a pain in the backside or a
pleasure. I honestly think that you can do whatever you set your mind to. You
have been given so much grown up responsibility in the last two years, taking
care of your mother’s needs, running a household, and holding down a job. I know
how driven you are and how you will do what it takes to be the best. I have
faith in you.”

At least one of us did. “So you think that I should take it?”

“I know that you are getting your degree in Marketing and you
want to eventually get into coordinating events, right?”

I nod.

“You know that Trentini & White is one of the top venue
management firms in the Atlanta area. We host some of the biggest corporate
events in this city. Not to mention we have so many students wanting to intern
here every summer. This is the perfect place to be when you get your degree.
And as the assistant in the marketing department you are going to learn firsthand
what goes into planning these events. So I would say go for it, Marissa. You
have a foot in the door already.”

“Yeah, unless I get fired in a month.” I roll my eyes.

Harold chuckles. “Don’t talk like that. If you give your all
to this position like you did when you were in school, like you do as a
receptionist, then I don’t see why you wouldn’t get hired for this position
full-time. Just expect for it to be challenging. Expect there to be a learning
curve. But in all honesty, Marissa, if Austin doesn’t love you, then he’s the
fool and you may just be better off somewhere else.” He smiles.