On Saturday, the entire atmosphere in Trinidad was buzzing with pre-Carnival excitement. Cory loved this time of year, with activities and different parties every night.
She and her friends Elisha, Gabrielle, and Kerry were attending one of the biggest Carnival parties of the season, featuring Trinidad’s finest and most spectacular soca artiste. Machel Montano’s music was both infectious and energetic and Cory loved it. The party was a fashionable affair filled with animated conversations, loud laughter, and fun. There was nothing better than going out with her girls and having a good time.
When they entered the stadium, the place was already packed to capacity with thousands of people. The atmosphere was electrifying and there was a certain excitement in the air tonight that completely energized Cory. The four bought some drinks and sipped on them and their bodies slowly gave in to the sensuous soca rhythms. They swayed in sweet abandon to the pulsating music that represented Carnival in sweet Trinidad and Tobago.
• • •
Adrian was not a happy camper to be working at this party tonight. He wanted to be partying himself. Unfortunately, he had lost a bet and this was his punishment. He hated crowd control. Their job was to ensure all party-goers were safe and physically restrain the ones that wanted to start any trouble.
At least there was lots of eye candy for the guys to feast upon. There were many beautiful, not to mention very sexy, women everywhere they looked. And as they were making the usual rounds of the venue, one of them caught Adrian’s eye. A woman with crazy hair dressed in a very short pair of denims and tall black boots.
Cory? Adrian could never miss those wild curls anywhere. Neither the sultry movements of those hips. But he had to be sure. She was definitely having a great time with her friends around her. They were all laughing and chatting and swaying their bodies, all a bit too provocatively.
“Guys, this way,” Adrian shouted as he headed in the direction of the curly hair. As the line of them was passing, people in the crowd were moving briskly aside to clear a path for them. The smart ones obviously didn’t want to mess with the heavily armed militia tonight.
“Give me a minute,” Adrian announced when he stopped. All the others in line immediately stopped and waited on him. Adrian went up to her and whispered her name.
An excited Cory jumped and spun around. “Adrian,” she exclaimed. Her arms instinctively flew around his neck.
Her reaction took Adrian quite by surprise. Not that he minded one bit. Clearly, she’d had a few drinks already.
“Hey, I didn’t expect to see you here,” Adrian finally managed to say. He was busy drinking in her sweetness. Her shorts were hugging her shapely hips and that top she was wearing clearly didn’t require a bra. All the women around him ensured they dressed their sexiest at these parties and he wasn’t one to complain. His eyes were transfixed on Cory, however, the only object of his desire.
“I don’t miss this for the world,” Cory was beaming.
Adrian finally looked at the other women in Cory’s group.
“Oh, how rude of me. Adrian, these are my girls. This is Elisha, Gabrielle, and Kerry,” Cory announced, pointing out each one of them after she called their names. Girls, this is Second Lieutenant Adrian Mendez.”
“Ladies, it’s a pleasure,” Adrian briskly dipped his head as they all sang hi in unison. Then he bent and whispered again to Cory, “So I’ll see you soon, Cory?”
“I’ll try my very best,” she whispered back.
Adrian smiled at them and continued on his way through the thick crowds, quickly followed by the others.
• • •
“Okay, could somebody please explain to me what all that lusting was all about just now,” Gabby dramatically enquired as soon as Adrian left. Cory apparently wasn’t the only drama queen in business.
“Yeah, Cory, who the hell is that?” Kerry piped in.
Cory licked her lips and tried to wipe the stupid look off her face. “That’s Adrian, I told you all,” she said.
“Adrian? Who’s Adrian?” Kerry asked again.
“That, my dear friends, is the man who sent her flowers the other day,” Elisha interjected.
“Hold up. He sent you flowers? And we’re only now hearing about this?” Kerry asked.
“Wait! Just in case you all missed this and didn’t realize, that man who was practically eating out of your ear is a soldier. A heavily armed soldier, too,” Gabby exclaimed.
“Yeah, well, he’s always armed,” Cory calmly offered.
“That’s right! Cory, since when are you into soldiers and men of arms?” Kerry asked, looking puzzled. “The last time I checked, you hated men in uniform.”
“I am not into soldiers, okay,” Cory vehemently remarked. She lied. She was definitely into this one. She loved the intensity with which Adrian did things. At least the intensity with which he always looked at her with those beautiful brown eyes of his. He looked at her as if no one else was around. As if only the two of them existed on this earth. Making his intentions well known to her without even uttering a word.
“So what was that all about, then?” an inquisitive Kerry was asking and jolting Cory from her thoughts.
“We all have to admit it. That man is hot, girlfriends,” Gabby blurted.
“He sure is, girl,” Cory excitedly added. “And the things he can do with those lips … .” Realizing what she was about to say, she stopped herself and trailed off.
“What did you just say? I must be tripping because I just thought I heard you say that you kissed the guy,” Kerry said.
“Oh, it was a little more than that actually,” Cory announced casually.
All three of their jaws dropped in surprise.
“Okay, it looks like you have some explaining to do, young lady,” Elisha was able to rush out first.
“Fine, but after the party,” Cory said.
“No. Now, please. We want you to share all the juicy details,” Gabby said, rubbing her hands together.
“Fine,” Cory said. So she finally told her friends all about Adrian and how they’d met. And of course, everyone had their opinions on the matter, as would be expected with girlfriends.
“But you know how men are. They’re only interested in sleeping with you. And that look soldier boy just gave you, spelled it out loud and clear,” Gabby, the oldest of the four and the harshest where men were concerned, was the first to give her two cents.
“And what if that’s what I’m interested in as well?” Cory interjected.
“And since when are you into the whole casual sex thing, Cory?” Elisha asked. She had a certain degree of alarm in her tone. Probably because she was the only one in the group happily married.
“Since this year,” Cory responded. “Remember this was all your idea in the first place, for me to find a man for the New Year?”
“Yeah, but not the first one that comes along. Or not one that makes you just want to climb into bed with him, Cory,” Elisha explained in her signature lecturer’s voice.
“Oh my God, Cory. I can’t believe you’re falling for that BS. This is the epitome of a player. The charm, the flowers, the random acts of kindness. Girl, are you really falling for all that?” Gabby enquired. “He probably only found your damn car so that you’d sleep with him.”
“Oh, Gabby, you sound just like Jay,” Cory retorted.
“And what exactly did Jay have to say about all this?” Gabby asked. “Just out of curiosity.”
“Looks like soldier boy’s working overtime to hit that ass,” Cory said in her best Jay impersonation.
“Yep. That sounds like a typical Jay comment,” Gabby laughed.
“And steps one, two, and three, direct from the Players Handbook,” Elisha added, backing up Gabby’s point. At this, everyone erupted into loud laughter, all except for Kerry. She was the only one just listening in on the conversation now.
“Although I have to admit, the casual sex thing is good. As long as you can keep your heart out of it,” Gabby interjected.
“And that’s coming from the queen of casual sex,” Elisha hastily added.
“You and a soldier, Cory?” Kerry finally broke her silence. “I just can’t see the both of you together. What could you two possibly have in common?”
“Look, maybe we need to change our perceptions about military men,” Cory reasoned.
“We? I don’t believe this crap,” Kerry exploded, sounding annoyed as hell.
“What’s your problem, Kerry?” Cory demanded, beginning to sound a little annoyed herself.
“My problem? Oh, you’re so freaking unbelievable, Cory. It was you all along who had that problem ever since Collin’s death,” she shouted. “And now for some strange reason, one comes along with an American accent and you can’t wait to do him!”
For the first time everyone in the group went completely silent. They all understood Collin’s death was a never-talked-about topic for Cory. After what seemed like forever, she finally broke the silence. “Well, maybe I’m starting to see things differently now, Kerry.”
“And I suppose we should all be grateful for that, right?” And with that Kerry stormed off, pushing her way through the thick crowd, much to everyone’s total disbelief.