Free An Arrangement of Love by Kenya Wright Page A

tell them about the dinner later, when I had time to think about it myself. I looked up and noticed Chase staring at me.
    “Sorry. That was Vivian. Instead of dropping me at home, I would like you to take me to Drunken Lyrics.” I put my phone away as he nodded. “Okay. Back to this arrangement. Am I to assume that you want me to join Wendy, Dawn, and you in an orgy?”
    “No.” He chuckled a little and again gave me an expression that suggested I was the crazy person at the table.
    “We don’t all have sex together. We have chosen days where I take each one out.” He set his fork down. “The chosen woman and I do something fun together, and at the end of the evening we make love. Dawn creates a schedule for all of our dates each month. She is very strict about everyone having a fair amount of time with me. Once she creates the schedule, she gives it to Lucy.”
    Shocked, I asked, “Lucy knows?”
    “Well yes. Lucy is a part of our arrangement...in her way.”
    “What does that mean?” I scrunched up my face.
    “You don’t need to know all of that unless you’re also with us.”
    “I’m not interested.”
    “Now who’s being closed-minded?” He lowered his lips into a frown. “Let’s finish our date and then you decide.”
    “Our date?” I shook my head. He’s crazy. “Whatever. As far as this whole crazy situation goes, am I to understand that there was never a job?”
    “The executive assistant position is a job, but I also use it to hire new women for my arrangement. I want someone who will accompany me on business trips and meet Dawn’s guidelines as well as my desires.”
    “You have Lucy and like you said she’s a part of it.”
    He waved my response away. “Lucy is complicated. We don’t have sex. Our relationship is something different.”
    “What were all those interview questions about my sex life?”
    “I already knew the answers. I just wanted to see if you were truthful and could deal with the pressure of me asking you something so personal in a room full of strangers. This relationship between the ladies and I only works because we’re patient and honest with each other.”
    “And when you said ‘I am your god?’ What the hell was that supposed to mean?”
    His lips curled into a smile. “That’s me seeing how much you would take.”
    “Well, that’s a bad test. I’ll take a whole lot of crap from a boss who gives me six figures, but I won’t deal with a bunch of craziness from my boyfriend.”
    “Your last boyfriend cheated on you. Instead of shunning him for the rest of his life, you were in his wedding.”
    “My last boyfriend also farted all the time, was insensitive, and a horrible lover. When I caught him cheating it hurt, but I got over him in less than a month. When he married my friend, I had no ill will. In fact, I actually felt bad that he’s who she ended up with. She could’ve done better.”
    “Like I said, you’re unexpected.” He sat back in his chair with a curious gaze. “What do you think about my arrangement?”
    He didn’t want to know what I thought. If I truly told him my ideas about his relationship, we would be in this restaurant for weeks with me, using the few things I learned from my college psychology courses to analysis why the women would agree to something so unusual and why he possibly had severe commitment issues. The whole thing seemed so strange and sexist to me.
    He can have sex with other women, but they had to sit there and be faithful to him. Insanity.
    I didn’t have an exciting dating life. I hadn’t spent time with any man besides Gabe since I broke up with my other boyfriend three years ago. There wasn’t anybody out there who commanded my attention. Each time I met someone I gave them the V.I.B. test. Vivian coined the term for Vibrator, Ice cream, and Book test. Basically, if I would rather spend the night at home with my vibrator, a pint of Ben and Jerry’s Chunky Monkey ice cream, and a steamy romance novel,