"No!" she cried. "Now get out of here." She tried to shoo him out of the little room.
"That's okay. I already know who it is."
She paused, taking in the smug look on her friend's face. He was bluffing; she was sure of it. "No, you don't," she said with conviction.
He lifted a perfectly arched brow sky high. "No?" he asked, as a sly grin spread slowly over his cherubic features.
"No," she repeated, her certainty waning as she swallowed thickly.
"Okay, then, Alisha Larrington," Russell said slowly. "I'll leave you to pick out your seductive wears for Big. Ta-ta!" He turned to breeze past the curtain when her arm reached out and stopped him.
Russell's words bounced erratically around her brain like a pinball before they registered completely. It finally happened. Her bubble? Effectively burst. "Russell, how—"
"How do I maintain such a flawless complexion?" he asked, smirking when she frowned. "How do I keep such a stunningly handsome boyfriend?" Alisha's eyes narrowed. "Or how do I manage to be impeccably and fashionably dressed for every occasion?"
Alisha shook her head. "No. How did you know about Big?" she asked softly.
He smoothed the hair out of her eyes. "Aw, baby doll…I wasn't a hundred percent, but you just confirmed it."
Her eyes fell closed and she sighed, defeated. "Well, why did you suspect us then?"
"Because I'm me and I know these things. When will you learn?" he asked kindly. "And before you ask, Maggie doesn't know, and I hadn't planned on telling her."
Alisha expelled a breath that felt a lot like relief, not knowing exactly why she was so bound and determined to keep this secret that was becoming less of a secret with each passing day. "Okay," she said finally, unsure of what else there was to say about the matter. Noting the Cheshire grin on her friend's face, she furrowed her brows in question. "Why are you looking at me like that, Russell?"
"I just like being right. It is so damn satisfying. Adam, what did I tell you?"
"Please don't drag me into this," he answered uncomfortably. "I told him to stay out of it, Lisha, I promise."
She smiled at the man shuffling awkwardly outside of her dressing room, avoiding eye contact by studying the ceiling. "Honey, you think I don't know whose handiwork this is?"
Russell let out an affronted snort. "Hello! Do I need to remind you that it was my advice that you took and not Maggie's to sex up Big in the first place? And also how utterly ecstatic that makes me? Oh, does this mean you're really not going to go out with Mark?" he asked with a malevolent grin.
"Out!" she snapped, pointing to the hallway. "Out, now!"
"Please," he waved her off. "I need more information and I can help you pick out something that is simply to die for. Forgive me, Lisha, but this," he gestured dramatically at the lingerie she was wearing, "looks like something a two-bit hooker would wear. It leaves nothing to the imagination."
Her cheeks flamed scarlet and she half wished for the earth to open up and pull her into the depths of its fiery core. "Well, he has already seen it all," she retorted acidly. "And I don't need your help. Just please get out of here."
"Why ever for, Delicious? Unlike you, I have no qualms whatsoever about picking out someone else's 'sex clothes,'" he added with air quotes. "D—go out there and pick something out for Alisha."
"Fuck that," Adam spat. "Alisha, I'm really sorry. Russell, I'm going to finish the Christmas shopping," he said through gritted teeth. "Just call me when you're finished with this ridiculous mission of yours. See ya, cutie," he called to Alisha and hightailed it out of the ladies' dressing room.
She raised her brows at Russell and he countered with the same look. "Aren't you going after him?"
"No," he drawled slowly. "He's fine. I'm staying here and helping. You—start talking," he said, taking a seat on the padded Bench and crossing his legs. "When did you and Big start your little rendezvous?"
Alisha weighed the options in her mind about telling him the truth. On one hand, it would be kind of nice to have someone to talk to about everything. And on the other, having someone to talk to about Big meant lots of questions she'd finally have to find answers for and she still wasn't ready to do that. After a few moments of going round and round in her brain, she took a breath and told him everything.
"Fuckyou, you sneaky sumbitch," Big swore when James vaporized his player on the video game.
James chuckled and tossed his controller onto the coffee table. "All part of my skills, yo," he said, puffing up his chest.
Big slanted his best friend a look and reached for his beer. "Dude—we've talked about you saying shit like that. You're not BAMF enough to pull it off." He laughed at his buddy's frown. "Do you talk to Maggie like that when you're getting her off? Yo, baby, just part of my skills!" he mocked. He found this idea totally goddamned hilarious and howled with laughter.
The taller man smirked and raised his bottle to his lips. "Maggie's not complaining," he told him.
Big grinned proudly and reached for a slice of pizza from the box between them and shoved half of the slice into his mouth. "Nice, bro," he mumbled with a full mouth before washing it down with his beer.
James picked up his controller. "Ready to get your ass kicked again?"
"What the fuck ever, Keller. You got lucky last time. Let's do this," Big said, his swagger in full effect.
Big had James's guy totally cornered, and he was completely about to annihilate
