Maybe Not Tonight

My female friend Molly had started a new job as front desk manager of a super-swanky boutique hotel and was crushing pretty hard on her coworker – the very sexy (and 10 years older) bar manager of the hotel lounge.

“Ethan is SO hot,” she’d gush to me over the phone, “and AMAZING in bed! You just HAVE to come by and meet him. We’ll go up to the bar for drinks next Thursday!”

So the following Thursday I shimmied into a slinky dress, painted on some black eyeliner and left my place teetering on 5-inch heels to meet Molly at the hotel bar.

We were comfortably settled, exchanging gossip and sipping $18 martinis on the house when I saw Ethan coming, sizing us up like a large game cat stalks a pair of gazelles as he made his way across the room. When we were introduced, his hand lingered just a moment too long over mine, his eyes, a moment too long down my shirt.

After a few more rounds of cocktails and some flirting with Ethan and his coworkers, Molly excused herself to use the ladies room.

Ethan took the opportunity to turn and kiss me – full on the lips!

I was so shocked that I didn’t immediately pull away, until I caught sight of Molly heading back from the restroom.

I jumped up, hastily excused myself and hurried in the direction of the restroom Molly had come from.

I returned to find Ethan with his arm around her shoulders and his lips on her neck.

“What do you say we get out of here, ladies?” Ethan asked, looking up from Molly’s cleavage. “I’m house sitting for a friend in Gramercy – it’s a beautiful apartment, I’d love to show it to you.”

And so 20 minutes later I found myself perched on a pristine white couch in a beautifully decorated penthouse apartment with stunning city views – on my second glass of champagne and chatting with some other hotel employees who had come along.

Champagne always seems to find its way into my hands, especially when the last thing I need is another drink – so I wasn’t quite sure I was hearing correctly when I heard a piercing feminine screech and saw Molly storming down the hallway into the living room toward me, Ethan following closely behind.

“Get up, Lena,” she demanded. “We’re leaving!”

“Look, Molly, I’m sorry, but I was really into your friend here,” he gestured toward me. “I was just being honest!”

Uh-oh. I took another gulp of champagne.

“After my clothes were already on the floor!” she screamed, grabbing my arm and jerking me up off the couch.

“How about a threesome?” he offered generously.

“Keep dreaming!” she snorted.

I groped around for my clutch, spilling some champagne on the guy next to me as Molly all but dragged me out of the apartment and toward the elevator, much to the amusement of the other guests.

“Molly, please don’t go storming out of here,” Ethan called, following us to the elevators. “It’s late at night, at least let me get you girls a cab!”

“Absolutely not!” she fumed, hitting the call button violently until the doors slid open.

She shoved me inside and quickly followed, turning to face Ethan, still standing on the other side of the gleaming gold doors in the dimly-lit, plushly carpeted hallway.

“And you can just stay away from Lena, because you’re NEVER going to sleep with her!!” she yelled at him.

As the doors slid closed he shrugged and, cocking his head to one side, said:

“Maybe not tonight!”

SFAR