Free Niki's Challenge by Erosa Knowles Page A

through
the top.
    “ Yes’m, I’m doing just
fine,” Rissa answered, absently staring at Gale. Niki had always
thought her cousin was pretty. Tonight, Rissa shined. Her short
purple dress looked amazing on her. It flowed and hugged her
curves. She wore her hair swept up. The slightly glazed look in her
eyes signaled she’d been drinking. Oh well, it was her
birthday.
    “ Rissa, Gale, this is a
friend of mine, David Riccio.” Niki made the introductions without
looking Rissa in the eye, knowing there would be many questions
later. “David, this goofball is my cousin, Rissa and her partner,
Gale.” Niki smiled at the face Rissa gave her as she stuck out her
tongue.
    “ Hey, I’m the birthday
girl, remember?” she pouted, before turning to David. “Thanks for
having pity on my lonely, gruesome cousin and walking in the door
with her. You can go and get your real date now. We don’t mind…”
she told him straight faced before Niki pushed her shoulder,
laughing.
    “ You’re crazy. Gale may
have to put up with you. Thank God I don’t.” Turning to David,
who’d chuckled in response to Rissa’s comment and moved closer to
her. “Don’t mind her; she hasn’t had her pills yet. Gale, you need
to take better care of this nut.” David put his arm around her
waist, supporting her back. She hadn’t realized she’d been pressing
her palm into it. Smiling her thanks, she leaned into him, taking
what help she could for now. She’d been as honest with him as
possible, not making any promises regarding a relationship. They’d
take each day as it came. He seemed okay with the
compromise.
    “ Trust me,” Rissa said with
an impish smile. “She takes good care of me.” Rissa shared a
private smile with her lover, Gale. Niki and Gale smiled as they
exchanged pleasantries and watched Rissa accept her gift from Nana
Bea.
    Elbowing Gale, Niki pointed. “She’s
such a baby. Look how she still lights up when she gets a gift.”
They both laughed when Rissa stuck her tongue out at
them.
    “ It’s my birthday and I can
be greedy if I want to, right, babe?”
    “ You know that’s right,”
Gale agreed immediately.
    Nana Bea had two girls. Rissa and
Niki’s moms had been sisters. Niki’s mom had been the baby. Rissa’s
mom was a college professor who traveled a lot. Rissa had spent
lots of time with Nana Bea and Niki growing up. Rissa’s mom and dad
had never married, and he’d never been involved, other than
financially, in her life.
    Niki had been the first person Rissa
had shared her concerns about her sexual preferences. They’d been
just teens, Rissa a few years older. At first Niki had been
shocked. Not because of Rissa’s lesbian leanings, more because of
interest in sex, period. Niki had been so busy with her studies,
playing with the finance market and learning the industry that she
had missed a large part of dating and socializing. Rissa would call
and talk to Niki about her feelings, the people she dated and the
problems she incurred, until Gale.
    Moving forward, with David’s
assistance, she gave Rissa her gift bag. The two-carat diamond
earrings were nestled in the box beneath a lot of paper she wanted
to see her cousin’s frustration as she dug through the bag up
close.
    “ Oh, Niki, you didn’t have
to...” Her tone was so fake, everyone laughed as she grabbed the
bag like an excited kid on Christmas morning.
    Shaking it “hmmm...what do you think
this is, baby?” she asked Gale.
    “ I have no idea.” Gale
shook her head and laughed as Rissa tapped the box that had been
inside the bag.
    “ What are you doing? Just
open it already so I can go sit down,” Niki snapped, rubbing her
stomach trying to calm the gymnasts who jostled in her tummy. David
moved closer, ready to offer assistance, as he rubbed her back.
Nana and Gale noticed his actions. She offered them both small
smiles.
    “ Really, I was going to
wait and open them all at the same time. But since you’re pregnant
and all I