No Wrong Way to Do Me Right

She wasn't sure whether to be relieved or scared when Rajesh grinned in response. "Oho, foreplay!" He caught her by the shoulder and shoved her up against the wall, and pressed himself up close against her. Seeing her opportunity, Sandy kissed him hard. She expected him to either pull away or reach for his keys, but he did neither. He returned the kiss more than willingly, and reached under her skirt.

Sandy was just about resigned to her only intimacy with Rajesh being in public when she heard a whoop in a vaguely familiar voice. "Rajesh? Sandy, really?"

It was Amad. Sandy opened her eyes to see Sundeep was there too. "Hi, guys," she purred as sexily as she could under the crazy circumstances.

"Get a room, man!" Sundeep said.

"Yeah, speaking of rooms, Rajesh, a word?" Sandy took his hand and led him away from his friends. "I promise to bring him right back!" she told them over her shoulder.

"What the hell are you trying to do, you fucking cocktease?" Rajesh said.

"I've been trying to tell you all night, some friends of mine are having a party next week, at the Hôtel Porte de la Ville, and -"

"The Hôtel Porte de la Ville?" Rajesh's eyes lit up the way Sandy had always wished they would do for her. "Bloody hell, my father's been looking for an introduction there for ages! And you can get me in?"

"Yes, I can!" Sandy said. "Be my date?"

"For that place I'd be anybody's date," Rajesh said. Pulling out his phone, he said, "What's your number?"

"You've already got it, Rajesh."

"Your number, Sandy? No I don't!" But as he swiped through his list of numbers, he saw he did in fact have it. "Oh, how about that. Call you Tuesday?"

"Great!" Sandy couldn't help smiling. "Really looking forward to it."

"Me too. Just wait until my father learns I've been in the Hôtel Porte de la Ville - I owe you, Sandy!"

Despite her promise to bring him back, Amad and Sundeep sauntered up behind them. "You two settled or what?" Amad asked.

"We are, thanks," Sandy said. "Oh!" She reached into her top and pulled out Rajesh's keys, and he grabbed at them but she was quicker. "One of you guys take these and take a taxi home, all right? Rajesh here is in no shape to drive."

"Got that right," said Sundeep, and she handed him the keys. "Come on Raj, she's right."

"Thanks, guys," Sandy said. "I'll be waiting for your call on Tuesday?" She helped herself to a peck on Rajesh's cheek, which he didn't respond to in any way, and with a flirtatious toss of her hair she was off up the street towards home.

As soon as she was around the corner, Sundeep said, "That bitch," and handed the keys back to Rajesh.

"Yeah, but she just got me into a club my old man can't get into," Rajesh said. "Need a lift home?"

Tom had plenty more studying to keep him busy over the weekend, and he had made up his mind not to be a fool and chase after Alexandra if she didn't want to be caught anyway. He had no idea what to expect from her when they got together on Wednesday to decorate the room at the club, but he wanted to be there for Marie and Pete, and promised himself he'd be an adult for their sake.

Alexandra went back and forth constantly over the weekend about whether to call Tom, or at least check in with Jane or Marie about whether they'd found any more dirt. Since she didn't hear from any of them, she spent the weekend with her nose stuck in a book and opted to keep her vow of silence. She, too, had no idea what Wednesday would be like, and she didn't want to think about it any more than she really needed to, but she would be there for Marie and Pete, and she might even give Tom a chance to explain himself. Maybe.

Marie and Pete were still utterly unaware of the party and their friends' drama when Wednesday dawned. Marie had an early meeting with a client, so she showered first. Pete busied himself with making breakfast, and was treated to his old favorite sight of Marie in her bra and tights as she got dressed. "Happy Valentine's Day, tights queen," he quipped.

Marie laughed and, without putting on any more clothes yet, skipped over to the kitchen to hug him. "Same to you, darling," she said. "Maybe the others are right and we ought to embrace it."

"Just so you embrace me like that anytime you want!" Pete said. Looking at her intimate attire, he added, "I sure miss watching you get dressed like this every morning."

"You're sweet," she said, and she retreated to the bedroom to finish dressing. Halfway there, she stopped and spun on her heel. "Have you heard anything from Alexandra since you-know-when?"

"Not a word," Pete said. "Or from Tom. I figured they just didn't want to tell anyone until we're all together, maybe at the pub."

"I don't know," Marie said. "I got the strangest call from Jane the other day, saying she'd heard Tom had found someone. I didn't feel like I should tell her anything, but I wonder if there's been some kind of miscommunication."

"Not after what we went through!" Pete said. "How could that happen again?"

"Ah, you're probably right," Marie said. And she gave it no further thought as she finished getting dressed, even acknowledging Valentine's Day with a red sweater.

When Jane arrived at the club that afternoon, she reminded herself yet again, Tom hadn't really done anything wrong and it was none of her business anyway. She vowed to be polite with him. At worst, she might suggest he have a word with Alexandra, who she could only hope was on the mend.

Eric was the first to arrive, just as she was signing in the members of the band. He volunteered to help them set up their equipment, and Jane was free to wait for the caterers to arrive. Before they did, Tom appeared, as dressed-up as Jane had ever seen him in a sportcoat, dark slacks and pennyloafers.

"Hi, Jane," he said.

"Sign in here," she told him, pointing at the guest log book.

"Sure," he said. "Say, have you heard from Alexandra this week?"

"No." It was true, not a word since they'd said good night at the pub last week.

He gave her a probing but not-unfriendly look. "Uh...oh, okay. I've got the decorations, anyway," he said, lifting up a canvas bag he'd been carrying.

"I'll show you to our room," Jane said. It was up a flight of stairs and down a short corridor, which gave her a few minutes. "Listen, when you do see Alexandra, I know it's none of my business, but you might want to say something to her."

"I've been wanting to say a whole lot of things, all week," Tom said. "If I could just get in touch with her."

"It's none of my business," Jane repeated. She reached the door and opened it to reveal an opulent, intimate ballroom where Eric was busy with the band in one corner. "I'll send Alexandra and Sandy in to help when they get here," she said.

Jane was off back downstairs to wait for the others, and Tom was left to wonder just was none of her business. Was it any of his either? He wasn't looking forward to the inevitable confrontation with Alexandra at all. But there was a job to be done, and he got down to business unpacking the streamers and laying out the letters to "Congratulations Marie and Pete," which they planned to hang over the food table.

He had them laid out in order on the antique sofa in the corner when Alexandra appeared. "H-hi," he stammered, not even trying to pretend she wasn't looking gorgeous.

"Hi," Alexandra said in an equally chilly tone. She guessed she was right, he hadn't seen her in a dress before. She had bought the cherry-red one over the weekend and still had her doubts that it clashed with her hair, which she had tied up in back with a bright red ribbon. Despite everything, she couldn't help but enjoy the way he looked at her.

"You're looking really nice," he said, figuring that couldn't hurt.

"Thank you," she said. "Shall we twist the streamers?"

"Let's hang up the letters first, so we're not in the way when the caterers get here."

Once the band was set up and busy with their sound check, Eric came over to help them hang up the decorations. Tom was neither surprised nor disappointed when Sandy didn't show up. When the caterers arrived and set up and they had the last of the decorations squared away, Tom volunteered to greet guests at the door. The first guests, a few of Marie's friends from the Sorbonne, arrived minutes later. Alexandra retreated to the food table and tried to look busy without actually touching anything. She failed, but Tom was more than happy not to look her way anyhow.

Slowly others trickled in, including a few of Pete's classmates whom Tom knew from last year, and an impromptu reunion took place as the band kicked into their first number. Leo and Francois were fashionably early as well. There were fifteen or twenty people there by the time Jane appeared in the doorway and told him, "Sandy's downstairs. Looks like she finally got a date with that jerk Rajesh. He's here too."

"I can just imagine why he agreed to come here," Tom said.

"Never mind that, the point is that Sandy came through for once. Now we just need to wait for Marie and Pete."

Even as she was saying so, Marie and Pete stepped out of a taxi and climbed the steps of the club. "Remember, we don't have to stay too late, depending on how annoying Sandy's aunt is," Marie said.

"Are you reminding me or yourself?" Pete quipped. And they were both still laughing when they stepped into the opulent foyer, where Sandy waited with Rajesh, who was looking everywhere but at her. "Pete, Marie, hi!" she said. "Thanks for coming. This is Rajesh."

"Hi," Pete said, shaking Rajesh's hand. "I've heard so much about you."

"Have you?" Rajesh said. "You ever been in here before? I've been hearing about it from my father ever since we moved here." He did deign to kiss Marie's hand and smile at her before once again diverting his attention to the surroundings.

"No, we've never been in here either," Marie said. "So, Sandy, is your aunt already in the restaurant?"

"Your aunt?" Rajesh looked at her at last.

"You'll see in a minute," Sandy said, taking his hand. "Come on upstairs and you'll see."

Rajesh let her hold his hand, but as they climbed the steps he wouldn't drop the subject. "You didn't tell me we were meeting your aunt. Is she a member? I'd have worn a better suit than this if I'd known."

Marie and Pete exchanged surprised looks. But they had both heard enough of Sandy's whining about Rajesh to let it go by.

At the top of the stairs, Sandy pointed the way down the hall, and managed to time her answer just right. "I'll let you know everything I can about becoming a member later, Rajesh. But first, there's a little something else to take care of." She stepped up to the door and opened it for her guests.

When Marie and Pete appeared in the doorway, a cheer went up in waves as their presence registered across the room. The band came to an abrupt stop and the singer announced, "Congratulations, Marie and Pete!"

"You're joking," Pete said softly, almost in a whisper.

Marie clasped both hands against her mouth and squealed like a schoolgirl. "Oh my God, guys, you didn't!"

"We did," declared Jane, who had borrowed the singer's microphone. "Marie and Pete, after what you went through, no one deserves a proper wedding more than you do, and you never got one. So tonight, we all celebrate your love." She handed the mic back to the singer. "Take it away!"

He did, as the band launched into a slow song most of the revellers didn't know. Alexandra thought she did recognize it from her deep dive into the world of oldies on Youtube last week, but she didn't know the title.

She did know she was in no mood at all to slow dance, and she busied herself with assembling a plate of munchies at the food table so no man would be tempted to ask her. When she dared a look over her shoulder, she saw the ploy had worked just fine. There were only a few spares and they were busy chatting in the far corner. The only one she knew was Tom, who she half-hoped would look over at her. But he didn't.

She kept her back turned to the room anyway, just to be safe.

Marie was delighted with the turn of events in spite of herself. "I never would've guessed Sandy of all people would have anything to do with this!" she said. "Admit it, she fooled us."

"And I'm glad she did," Pete said. "I like this a lot better than trying to make conversation with just Sandy and her aunt for three hours."

"I want you to know, though, Pete, I never held it against you that we didn't have time for this before, all right? I was just happy our love survived and I still am."

"Me too." He kissed her, and then allowed himself a look around the room. "So great to see all our friends enjoying it, too...hey, wait a minute."

"What is it?" Marie asked.

"Your eight o'clock."

Marie looked over her shoulder to see Alexandra standing alone at the food table. "Then it must be true," she sighed.

"What must be true?"

"Jane called me and said she'd heard Tom had someone else. But wait a minute..." The clutch of stubborn wallflowers was in Marie's sight over Pete's shoulder. "Tom's over there, not dancing, and he's talking to a couple of other guys. Probably your B-school friends."

Pete took a discreet look and confirmed this. "Yeah, that's who they are. Maybe he's got a girlfriend back home?"

"No, he told me he didn't."

"Are you sure he was telling the truth?"

"Pete, remember the last time someone told me a guy had a girlfriend back in America?"

"Oh no..."

Marie nodded. "Listen, when this song is done, I think we all need to have a chat with our friends!"

Sandy had only just managed to get Rajesh out on the floor. As they were near the edge, she at least got to admire her handiwork as Alexandra stuffed her face on the sidelines. She cast many a triumphant look in Alexandra's direction but never made eye contact.

She did occasionally make eye contact with Rajesh, despite his urgent surveying of the room for someone who looked like they could help him get an official introduction to the club. Victory was sweet, no matter how fleeting. Knowing what he was after, she said, "Now, couldn't you see us dancing like this every weekend once you've got your membership?"

"Sandy, I don't think you really know anyone who can get me a membership, do you?"

"I never said I did. But I could ask my friend who organized this. She's got a reciprocal membership from somewhere."

"Reciprocal membership?" Rajesh pulled back and tore her hand off his shoulder. "Then she can't recommend me for this club! So I'm right, you don't know anyone who can help me!"

"But that's not why I invited you here! Rajesh, can't you see how much I like you?"

"How much you like me! You think my mother would ever let me marry a white girl, Sandy?"

"Who said anything about marriage?" Sandy reached for his hand, but he pulled it away. "I just want to spend some more time with you, that's all!"

"We spend almost every Saturday night together, don't we?!"

"Yeah, with you always pushing me away so you can hang out with your boys!"

"Oh, it isn't like that!" Rajesh said. "You'd see that if you'd ever stop throwing yourself at me like a pathetic rag doll!"

The couples around them were all grateful that the song ended there, offering a merciful end to Sandy's humiliation. While the room was applauding the band, Rajesh took the opportunity to leave. "If you can't get me an introduction to a member here, I've got other places to be!" He spun on his heel and was off towards the door.

Sandy looked around for a discreet spot to escape to before the tears arrived. Instinctively she made fleeting eye contact with Alexandra, who was looking smug as she munched on her third crab puff.

As the next song kicked into gear - it was a fast one, no partner necessary - Sandy opted to dance to keep from crying. But she'd only just done her first few steps and wiggles when she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Sandy."

It was Jane. She looked and sounded like the detested headmistress at Sandy's long ago boarding school. "A word. Now."

Jane guided her out of the room, where they found Tom and Pete chatting. Neither man looked at Sandy or paid her any mind, which was fine with her. A moment later, Marie arrived with Alexandra, looking very reluctant, on her arm.

"Now then," Jane said. "Let's see if we can unravel just what happened. Marie, you told me you had a special someone in mind for Tom."

"Yes, and I told Sandy the same thing," Marie said.

"Right, you said he wouldn't be lonely on Valentine's Day," Sandy said. "So just where is your honey, Tom?"

"And why didn't you think to mention that to me last week when I thought we were falling in love?" Alexandra sounded near tears. "You couldn't say, oh by the way, they're fixing me up with someone else?"

"Now, wait a minute!" Tom snapped.

"Too busy with homework, he told me!" Alexandra went on. "Couldn't even think of an original excuse!"

"I was!" Tom said.

"I can vouch for that," Pete said. "This time last year I barely had any time for Marie, remember?"

"And I told Marie I was single, just last weekend!" Tom protested.

"That's right," Marie said. "Jane, Sandy, that special someone I had in mind for Tom? It was Alex!"

Jane hung her head. "Oh, dear, here we go again. If only I'd known..."

"Well, I could have told you and I didn't," Marie said.

"You mean there isn't..." Alexandra's voice trailed away as she looked at Tom, whose eyes reflected her own blend of relief and regret. "Oh, Tom, I'm so sorry!"

"Never mind that now!" Tom flew into her arms, drawing applause from Jane, Marie and Pete. Sandy took the opportunity to slink off down the stairs, to no one's disappointment.

Marie insisted on a dance with Tom and that they both have a slice of the wedding cake, but Tom and Alexandra made their escape with their friends' blessings well before the party was over. As usual there were no taxis to be found, so they took the Metro back to Alexandra's flat. On the way she told him all about her sordid past back in Brisbane. "I came home to get the movie tickets and there was Marlene in bed with Ruth," she recalled ruefully. "That's why I was so easy to fool when you said you were busy with your homework."

"I get it," Tom said. "But I promise, I spent the whole week up to my eyeballs in number crunching with my three male group members. And you were on my mind the whole time."

"I believe you." She took his hand and squeezed it, and then loosened her grip but didn't let go for the rest of the ride.

Once they were home and she had a few candles lit for mood lighting, Tom confided in her. "I've never been with a bi woman before, that I know of. I don't know if it's really any different..."

"Why would it be different?" Alexandra smiled through her mild annoyance - she had heard much worse before.

"Well," Tom confessed. "I think of how much I love women, and I can't very well compare with them, can I?"

"Is that what you're worried about?" Alexandra drew him into a fond embrace and kissed him gently. "You're here because I love you for who you are, all right?" Then, remembering that song she'd been hooked on last weekend, she added, "What it really means for you, Tom, is, there's no wrong way to do me right!"

Tom laughed. "Can't wait to find out if that's true!"

"Oh, it's true!" Alexandra pushed his coat off his shoulders. "Now, I think this is a week overdue, now isn't it?"

As if to make up for all that lost time, Tom gave her a good ten minutes of kissing and light petting without even trying to remove any of her clothes. Standing, then sitting, then rolling around on her bed, she welcomed his hands on her breasts and thighs, and slowly grew frustrated that he never touched her increasingly wet, hungry pussy, not even through her tights and knickers. But then, she had no doubt he'd be paying it plenty of attention soon enough.