FoF: Karen and Elena, "Action"

“So?” Adriana questioned from her bar stool in the kitchen.

“So…what?” Karen smirked naughtily, turning to look at her sister in law.

“So…you KNOW what” Adriana smirked back. She waited a brief second before she spoke again. 

“Are you going to tell me what happened yesterday or what?”

“I gotta feed my kids, Karen” smirked again before trying to breeze past her sister. Adriana playfully caught Karen’s arm and twisted it.

“Tell me!” She demanded, releasing her arm and sitting back down.

“Jeez! Nosy much?” Karen smiled, playfully rubbing her arm. “If you must knooooow,” she teased, 

“we just went to workout….then to dinner “(she whispered) the last part.

“we…meaning you and Dana?” Adriana probed.”Not you and Elena?”

Karen let out a loud sigh… “Elena is not talking to me…soo…”

“So you went out with her best friend?”

“Ummmm no, I did not go OUT with anybody. I went to workout with Dana. And yes Dana, happens to be Elena’s best friend. I mean, but she is kind of my friend too…we see each other all the time at happy hour.”

Adriana twisted her lips to the side in apprehension. “I don’t know Karen…I think you mayyy be a tad shady. Plus, like you’re blushing right now.”

Karen covered her face with her hand to shield the smile forming beneath her fingers. “I know” she giggled. “It’s wrong though, huh?” Karen got serious. “I don’t know Dri…I just feel like, Elena is doing too much, and I can’t handle all her emotions. She is too much… and Dana is just not like that.

Karen smiled to herself as she recounted the events of the night before.

“And I guess neither of them of are anything like Adrienne…you know my brother…your husband?”

“Who” Karen raised her eyebrows sarcastically. “if you only knew…girl. That nigga is all the way crazy.”

“So no more therapy?” Adriana got serious.

"I just don’t know Dri.” Karen plopped down on the barstool next to her sister in law, opened a pint of butter pecan ice cream and sighed loudly. “Veronica said he came by her mother’s house like last week!”

“Looking for Cowry?” Adriana interrupted.

“Yep. I mean why else would he be there.” Karen smacked her lips. “ultimate disrespect.….honestly, I don’t even want to talk about it.  It’s not enough that I took in HIS son. Like he has to add insult to injury by chasing a woman who has been crystal clear that she don’t want him. Meanwhile back at the ranch…I’m a fake ass single mother.”

Adriana shook her head silently. “Buzzkill.” she kidded trying to lighten the mood.

“Sooo yea….back to Dana.” Karen smiled widely. “Well first let me tell you about what happened with Elena.

“I’m listening.” Adriana perked up, pouring a glass of wine.

“Oh no…girl, I need a shot for this Karen laughed before tossing back a shot of Jack Daniels. “Whew! 

Ok. Ummm… so like three weeks ago, I got drunk and invited Elena over.” She spat out quickly.

Karen had met Elena almost a year ago at one of the school potlucks. Elena had a daughter, Jerrica that was the same age as her second oldest daughter, Carmen. Carmen had brought both Elena and Jerrica over to the table and stated that just like she and Jerrica were best friends, Elena and Karen should be best friends too. Elena took to the idea immediately, but Karen was a little slower to trust. Over the next few months though, just by virtue of school functions and play dates, the two were almost always together. Eventually, Karen softened up and let Elena in.  They felt so comfortable with each other. Karen felt like she could tell Elena anything. Obviously Elena felt the same way because one day she told Karen that in high school, before she married her high school sweetheart. She had kissed a girl.

“I didn't think anything of it Adriana.” Karen explained. “I just kept it moving, you know? Especially because of Ambri… but she made it seem like it was some act of congress that she told me.”

“Did you tell her about Ambri?”

“No, because I mean…I don’t really KNOW about Ambri.”

Adriana twisted her lips to the side and smacked her teeth sarcastically.

“Ok ok..I DO know about Ambri…but I didn't tell her. So anyway, after she tells me she starts like telling me all this private stuff about her and husband and most of it, is like so weird that I tune her out. But aside from that…she starts being super attentive to me. She opens my doors, she buys me little gifts, and I don’t know…she’s just super sweet and kind of mysterious.”

“Mysterious..Karen? Really?”

“I don’t know. I just kind of liked the attention and I’m looking at Ambri and she looks happy...so I’m kind of like whatever. Let’s just see where this goes. So like all this time passes and we go out all the time and drink and like nothing happens. And it’s weird because…”

“You kind of wanted something to happen?” Adriana shook her head. “Gross,” she whispered.

“Not wanted too…but I don’t know. I’m 31…I have been with Adrienne since I was 14. We got married when I was 17 and now we are separated. I’ve been with him my whole life and if we work this out…I’ll be with him for this rest of it. I felt like this was probably my only chance to….what’s the word…experiment.”

“Uh huh”

“So anyway,” Karen continued. “Six months go by and she doesn't touch me at all. So…I figured I would help her along.”

“Wait, “Adriana interrupted… “did she tell you that she liked you ever?"

“Well...” Karen smirked naughtily, “she never said she didn't like me…and like she would flirt…you know. She would make little comments. Anyway you wanted me to tell you…so listen.”

Adriana pressed her lips together and moved her pointer and thumb across them, imitating a zipper.

“Like I said, it was three weeks ago…”

Karen had been standing in front of the mirror in her undergarments for almost an hour. She twisted and turned in the mirror to make sure that no matter how she moved she wouldn't expose the cesarean scar on her stomach. “Maybe I should put some foundation on it?” she thought to herself, but then quickly abandoned that idea when she heard the doorbell ring. Elena was early. “Dammit.” Karen thought as she looked at the fully awake baby squirming in his crib. She quickly dipped her finger in the shot of Jack Daniels sitting on her nightstand. “Forgive me father…she whispered to God as she rubbed her finger on the baby’s gums “I can’t have no crying babies tonight” Little Adrienne winced at the taste of the alcohol but he didn't cry. Karen threw on her robe, dabbed some perfume on her wrists and tossed the shot back. By the time she got to the door, Elena was walking away. “Sorry about that she called after her.”

“Oh hey, ”Elena smiled. “I thought I had missed you.”

“Nope, I am still here.” Karen opened the door to let Elena in. 

“Your hair always smells so good,” Elena commented as she embraced Karen tightly.

Karen just smiled.

“Wait…so you are not dressed at all?” Elena sat on the couch and shook her head.

For a moment Karen forgot that she had tricked Elena into coming over by telling her that she needed help picking out an outfit for the club that night.

“Oh…umm…no..I’m not. Sorry,” Karen winced. “Are you mad?”

“It’s almost midnight, Karen” Elena looked down at her watch. “We probably won’t make it.”

“Don’t be mad,” Karen comforted. “We can have a party here,” she encouraged bringing over the half empty bottle of Jack Daniels.

“Looks like you started without me, Elena joked as she reached for a shot glass.”

It was true. Karen had already had three shots and as a result she was feeling much more courageous than usual. So courageous that she invited Elena into her bedroom for her to watch her try clothes. She figured that they could make it interesting by playing a game. Every time, Elena liked an outfit Karen was wearing, she was supposed to take a sip of her drink. If she didn't like it, Karen was supposed to take a sip. By the third outfit, Karen couldn't stand the tension. She went in the closet turned off the light, and put on the shortest dress she had along with the highest heels. With only the light of the muted TV she sauntered out of the closest and stood directly in front of Elena. “What about this one” she flirted drunkenly.

“Wow.” Elena swallowed hard and leaned back on the chaise lounge she was sitting on. “Yea…that one’s nice. I like the stockings too.”

Karen sat on the bed directly across from Elena and crossed her legs at the hip so almost her entire backside was visible. “What about the shoes” she lifted her leg and pointed her foot in the air.

“Those are nice too.” Elena swallowed hard, licked her lips and shook her head.

“I bet you can’t even see them from there.” She teased. “You should come over here.”

“Naw, I can see them” Elena licked her lips again. “I think I need to stay where I am at though. It’s a lot going on right now.” She laughed.

But Karen wasn't laughing at all.  “Guess, you don’t like ‘em” she sighed before getting up and walking to the closet, but as soon as she walked past Elena she felt a hand grab her thigh.

“Wait” Elena whispered into the side of her leg. “Why you teasing me?” she buried her head deeper into Karen’s thigh and shook it slowly, causing ripples to travel up and down her leg.

“I’m not.” Karen turned to face Elena, but since Elena was sitting and she was still standing, her thighs cradled Elena’s head. Elena looked up slightly, her face directly beneath the lace panties Karen had so painstakingly picked out; she grabbed the back of Karen’s thighs and inhaled deeply.

Karen grabbed Elena’s head... then face, and raised it so they could see each other. “I’m not teasing you…ok?”

Elena didn't speak. Never taking her eyes of Karen’s, she stood up. Her 5’7 frame almost towering over Karen’s 5’1 stature and backed Karen up against the closet wall. She bit her lip before wrapping her fingers in Karen’s shoulder length hair and kissing her deeply.

Karen’s heart started to race. Heat came over her entire body. She felt something take control of her and all of the sudden she felt her hands fumbling with Elena’s belt buckle. She had almost gotten it unhooked when Elena jerked away suddenly.

“Dammit, Karen!” Elena slapped the wall behind her head in frustration. She turned around to button her pants, not speaking until her back was turned. “I can’t do this. I don’t want it happen like this.”

Karen reached to grab Elena’s hand, but she pulled away. “I need to leave,” she said without ever turning around. “I’m sorry.”

“And then she left girl!” Karen finished.