A Little Harmless Pleasure

"What's the matter, Cynthia?"
"Nothing." But the moment she said it, her eyes filled with tears.
"Oh, sweetie, I'm sorry. I didn't think you would get depressed today. I thought you were over everything--"
"Oh, no, I'm not really depressed, it's just...I had a scene with Father before I left to come here."
Anna took her by the shoulders and turned Cynthia to face her. "What happened?"
Cynthia smiled at the worry in her friend's voice. And that was how she viewed Anna. A year ago, who would have thought they'd become such good friends?
"He didn't want me coming."
Anna snorted. "That goes without saying. Your brother isn't in town, is he?"
"No." Thank God. "It wasn't fun. Father wasn't happy."
She pulled away from Anna. Not because she didn't need the comfort, but because she wasn't good at accepting it. It was hard talking about family business. A Myers did not discuss personal problems with anyone. She had heeded that mantra for years. If she had been able to discuss her feelings with Max, they could have saved themselves a heap of trouble and never gotten engaged.
"What did he threaten you with?"
Studying her friend, Cynthia wondered how much Anna could see beneath Cynthia's artificial surface. More than anyone ever had probably. Anna's clear gaze was tinged with understanding.
"Nothing big." Cynthia fingered the edge of her blouse. "He just kicked me out of the house."
There was a beat of silence. "What will you do?"
She hadn't really thought about it. With everything that had been going on, Cynthia had done her best to ignore the gnawing in her gut. Champagne on an empty stomach, especially with her ulcer, was not the best thing. Add the worry of being homeless, and she didn't even want to think of the doctor bills.
"Not sure. I do have a trust from my grandmother on my mother's side of the family. But, then, I have to find a place to live... Oh, and furniture."
She turned away and busied herself with rewashing her hands. She knew it wasn't her fault, but that didn't stop the humiliation. Heat crept up her neck and into her face.
"Tell you what. You can stay at my place. There's a lot of Max's old fuddy-duddy furniture in there, and I haven't rented it yet. You were going to be house-sitting anyway, so why not just rent it?"
For a second, Cynthia concentrated on washing her hands as she tried to work through her emotions. When she finished, she dried them on a paper towel and looked at Anna. The fact that she had accepted Cynthia, had forgiven her, still amazed Cynthia. Anna treated her better than Cynthia's own family when she truly didn't deserve it. A lump rose in her throat and she swallowed. This...it went beyond letting bygones be bygones.
"Really?" Her voice cracked, embarrassing her.
"Really. Now, let's go round up our men and have some fun. I have plans for Max, and I'm ready to leave."
Cynthia laughed as she tried to put her face back to rights. "I have no man."
"Honey, you may not think so, but Chris Dupree is definitely interested in you."
That gave her an unexpected thrill, but the sensible Cynthia squashed it. No reason to get hot and bothered over a man who was too much for her to handle.
"No."
Anna smiled smugly. "Yes, he is. He could barely take his eyes off you."
"Even if he did, I couldn't handle a man like Chris Dupree. The man is a walking wet dream."
As soon as she said it, her face flushed.
"I must say, that sounds like something I would say. I like it. And, although I'll deny it if you tell Max, I agree. Now, why not go take advantage of him?"
"Anna, I couldn't do that."
Anna studied her for a moment. "It isn't because he's black, is it?"
"Oh no. It isn't that. Although I can imagine what my family would say about it."
"Then what is it?"
"Other than Max, there has only been one other guy, and I didn't like it with him, either."
Anna's eyes widened. "You didn't like sex with Max?"
"I don't like sex, period." She shrugged with the familiar feeling of rejection and failure. "It has to be something with me."
Anna crossed her arms beneath her breasts and frowned. "You know, maybe it has to do with the men."