Page 35 of King of Players

The next day, I had a brunch commitment with some ladies from the foundation community. The eclectic and interesting group consisted of some women from my grandmother’s church, the wives of some prominent businessmen, and a couple of friends from my college days. The latter were the youngest and the most gossip-inclined.

After we were done eating, it was time to enjoy some ice tea and—for some—a cigarette or two. Natalie, a friend from college, brought out her pack of cinnamon cigarillos, pulled one out, and gave me a sideways smile. “So, how exactly did you get to meet Chad Niles?”

Her question startled me, since everyone had seen him at my party and nobody had bothered to ask then. “A mutual friend; Abel Drakos. Why do you ask?”

Raising an eyebrow like she always did before sharing some dirt, her eyes made a round over the faces surrounding the table. Her mischievous grin preceded a brief chuckle before her gaze returned to me. “Well, since he was at your house…”

“At the party,” I explained.

“Right. The party.” She placed the stick between her lips and lit it up, taking a drag before puffing out the smoke. “My cousin Shania, you know, the divorced twenty-one-year-old?” One of the women rolled her eyes, since none of them had approved the marriage of a college student. Natalie carried on, “She’s friends with one of his… lady friends, to put it nicely.” Fixing her eyes on me, it was as if she were waiting for a response to that. I gave her nothing, so she smacked her lips. “Says he’s been ignoring all of his lady friends, which isn’t like him, except… except when he’s on some kind of quest.”

Amid the laughs and giggles, I let out a sigh. “And that’s interesting… why?”

“Because Makenzie asked Candy, who spoke to Britney, who actually asked him. She said his lips were so sealed he could barely talk at all.”

“I—I’m confused. Why is this any of our business?”

She shrugged, looking down at her fingers on the table fiddling with her lighter. “Well, they all want to get to the bottom of it. And I told them that one of my oldest, dearest friends is a buddy of his. Thought I’d ask if you knew anything.” Her eyes held an unspoken accusation when she finally lifted her hand off of the lighter. “Since, you know… he recently joined the foundation and all.”

Knowing that the simplest twitch wouldn’t go unnoticed by her ruthless gaze, I maintained my composure and the smile on my face. “He joined because, at the party, he did a really good job fundraising. He’s a celebrity, and his charm can’t be denied. We’re not really ‘buddies’, Nat. It’s all business, after all.”

One of the women from the church snorted, grabbing her glass of ice tea with visible envy in her eyes. “Oh, well. I wish I could get him to take care of my business, if you know what I mean!”

Forging shock, I parted my lips and gasped. “Mrs. Kunnings!”

We all laughed while the woman casually sipped on her beverage, shrugging and rolling her eyes like a teenage girl who had just said something naughty.

“I, for one, wouldn’t mind being called a lady friend… if he doesn’t treat me like a lady when nobody’s looking,” Sameera Jones added.

“My God!” Rebecca Patterson exclaimed. “What’s gotten into everyone today?”

I chortled, sitting back and pulling out the cigarette pack from my purse. “Looks like Chad Niles causes more ruckus than I’d anticipated.”

“Speaking of which, did you really not know who he was?” Patricia Zen asked. “Someone said it was quite the interesting scene at the party.”

“I didn’t,” I admitted. “I mean, he did look familiar, but you know me… I barely pay attention to actors’ names.”

Dana Kunnings enthusiastically suggested, “You should really watch ‘Unanswered Questions’. He plays an incredible role.”

Before I could ask what the film was about, Sameera said, “And there’s full frontal for about ten seconds. Del-ic-ious!”

“Oh my God.” My chuckle came out low before I lit up my cigarette. “Right now, I wish there was more than just tobacco in this baby.”

Everyone laughed.

This was the first time this group of women had discussed a man with such zeal. I was beginning to understand that there was a fair amount of danger in a relationship with Chad Niles, given his fame and the fact that women—even the most dignified ones—drooled upon the mention of his name. Not only was I now a ‘secret quest’, but a mere friendship with him started an open, brazen conversation about him naked.

Did I want to be with a man whose private parts were a topic of discussion at brunch?

Nonetheless, when I went home after work later that evening, I couldn’t contain my curiosity regarding his “incredible role” in ‘Unanswered Questions’.

After taking a shower, I slipped into a comfortable pair of cotton pants and an oversized tee. Having waved goodbye to Miriam as she left for the day, I grabbed an opened bottle of wine, a glass, and went into the living room with the desire to be entertained.

Lounging comfortably on my couch, I observed the general atmosphere of the film as it grew warmer and more intimate with every scene. It was a love story, riddled with philosophical questions around the naïve idealism of human beings and…

And Chad—or his character, Michael—stopped all my thoughts in their tracks when he started to caress Zoe’s lower lip with his thumb. His beautiful love interest soon gave in to an impassioned kiss.

The observation that followed made me feel so… cheap.

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