Perfectly Unpredictable by Linda O'Connor

played the new riff. Mani quieted, and his eyelids
slowly drooped and closed.
    Strumming idly, he watched Kalia. He really
shouldn’t stare, but she was a stunner. Her skin looked soft, and when she
smiled, she smiled with her eyes. He’d seen what was under that shirt –
more soft skin. It was an image that was hard to erase. Her fingers flew over
the keyboard. No wrinkled brow. No frustrated sighs. Just cool as a cucumber.
It was sexy as hell.
    He winced. He needed to dial down the lust.
It was a one-way street to nowhere.
    Mani rustled in his sleep, and Mack glanced
over at him. He was cute – took after his mom in that regard. The
screaming was hell, but to give the tyke credit, the daily screaming seemed a
thing of the past.
    Kalia cleared her throat. Mack stopped
strumming and looked at her.
    “There you go,” she said. “I finished the
last of it and saved it to your hard drive. It wasn’t difficult. It looks fairly
straightforward, but there were more specific terms on the last page.”
    Mack set his guitar aside and stood up. “You’re
done? I’ve been at it for a full day and only managed half a page. How did you
do that?”
    Kalia smiled. “It’s what I do for a living.
I provide translation services.” She shrugged. “I’m working part-time now
because of Mani.”
    “That’s amazing. Thank you. Really.”
    “No problem. It seems like a small payment
for everything you’ve done for Mani and me. I didn’t realize you were Shades,”
she said sheepishly. “I didn’t put it together. I love your music.”
    “Thanks.” He hesitated. Did a straight guy
ask a gay woman, who was involved in a relationship, for a drink? Or was that
weird? It felt weird. “Would you like a beer or wine or something?” But out it
popped.
    Kalia looked down at Mani, sleeping soundly.
“Sure, thanks. I’d love a glass of wine.”
    She seemed to take that in stride, Mack
thought. What was he doing? She was so damned sexy. And smart. And didn’t seem
awed or star-struck over the band. But she was gay. She wasn’t the first gay
person he had come across, but she was the first he felt a pull with.
    It felt weird.
    He felt unsure.
    He hated feeling unsure.
    Kalia wandered over to the island in the
kitchen.
    “White or red?” he asked.
    “White, please.”
    Mack reached into a wine fridge and
selected a bottle of white wine and grabbed two wine glasses from an adjacent
cupboard. He frowned. “This won’t hurt Mani?”
    Kalia smiled. “No, an occasional glass with
breastfeeding is safe.”
    He opened the bottle deftly, poured them
each a glass, and handed one to Kalia. “To friends with useful talents.” Mack raised
his glass.
    Kalia laughed and clinked hers to his. “I
can drink to that.” She took a sip, closed her eyes in appreciation, and then
looked at Mack. “So what’s your hidden talent?”
    Is
she flirting with me? His brain scrambled to sort
through the weird. What the hell? He was game. “Fast fingers and endless
patience are all I’ve ever needed,” he drawled.
    Kalia stared. And swallowed.
    “How about you?” he asked.
    “Hmmm,” she replied. “Knowing how to use my
silken tongue is really all I’ve got.”
    Mack felt himself harden. “Probably all you
need,” he acknowledged, saluting her with a tip of the wine glass. He took a
big gulp.
    Kalia smiled.
    Mani cooed from his spot on the floor.
    Kalia looked over at him. “You awake,
little one?” She finished her wine and set down her glass. “We should get going.
I’m trying to keep a routine for him, and it’s time for his bath and bedtime. Thanks
again for the take-out. It was a fun surprise.”
    “Wasn’t it just,” Mack murmured under his
breath.
    Kalia picked up Mani and cuddled him close.
Mani quieted and rooted for a breast.
    Kalia laughed and a flush spread over her
cheeks. “He’s got a one-track mind,” she commented.
    And I’m part of that club, Mack thought as
he admired her curves. Focus, he chided himself.