Bella Baby

by Renee Lindemann

  “I am calling in my favor,” Horatio said his face still serious. “You owe me, Grenada that land mine and Sri Lanka that pretty prostitute.”

  “That’s so wrong Horatio, damn. Can I call in a counter favor?”

  Horatio shook his head in the negative and Chaz dropped his head in resignation.

  “If this ruins it for me, I am not going to be your friend anymore.”

  They both erupted in laughter over Chaz’s childish statement. Returning to the group they figured out the order. Stephanie and Sabrina had one of their trucks in the structure and agreed to drop off Michael, Penelope, Korey, and Shania. Ace and Isla accepted a ride from one of Ace’s employees patrolling a nearby parking lot. That left Cole and Myra along with the three friends needing a ride.

  “Bella and I have to do some work at the Perfect Ten as Big Willie is M.I.A,” Chaz explained wrapping Bella up in his arms.

  “We gotta go find Big Willie, he is fucking up. So we can take the Triple Threat back to their car,” Horatio offered. He hoped to take the heat off Chaz with Mia. Kennedy wasn’t so sure she wanted the friends riding with them. After professing her love for Horatio last night she felt insecure, love made her vulnerable. They only flirted when Horatio joked around but she could see Mia and Ava preferred Chaz and she hated that for Bella. The three friends were going to have Horatio take them back to Ava’s car. Chaz gave Horatio a nod that indicated he owed the man big time and would definitely talk to Bella on his best friend’s behalf. Chaz wanted to avoid any additional contact with Mia. He could see Ava’s crush was not as serious.

  The waitress walking towards them changed those plans real quick. The super long legs in black stockings were what you saw first and then the black bodysuit displayed perfectly shaped breasts. All this was coming from Lisa, a waitress at the casino, and a former flame of Horatio. She walked right threw the crowd of friends as they exchanged goodbyes and spoke directly to Horatio.

  “Hello stranger,” Lisa purred in Horatio’s ear. She wrapped her arms around his midsection as the dawn of recognition appeared on Horatio’s face. He immediately removed her arms from around his body. A few people nearest Horatio moved to take in the woman, namely Stephanie and Sabrina. Chaz stopped talking to Ace and Isla to run interference when he recognized Lisa.

  “Hey Lisa, nice to see you,” Horatio stammered. He looked immediately to Kennedy who pretended to ignore the scene unfolding.

  “Lisa, what up girl?” Chaz said going in for a quick hug.

  “Hey Chaz. Why wasn’t I invited to this party?” Lisa asked looking at the large group of people. “Horatio, you are not leaving without visiting with me?”

  Horatio shook his head, “Oh yeah we are on our way out Lisa. We were celebrating Chaz’s engagement.”

  “Who the hell is marrying your punk ass?” Lisa said turning to Chaz. Bella was at Chaz’s side and hoped to help diffuse the situation. Chaz made the introductions but Lisa seemed uninterested and returned her attention to Horatio. He was trying to get Kennedy to his side but she continued her conversation with Julie and Erik.

  “Well congrats you two,” Lisa said dryly. “So Horatio, come talk to me.”

  Lisa tried pulling Horatio away but he shook his head. Bella and Chaz were urging him with his eyes to just introduce Kennedy as his girlfriend.

  “Sorry Lisa, it was good to see you we are out sweetheart,” Horatio said nervously. He was urging everyone to disperse. Lisa giggled and continued as if he had not spoken.

  “You better quit playing I have a lunch break soon.” Lisa began to pull Horatio away from the group. Horatio looked at Kennedy angered that she wouldn’t come to his side. He knew she was pissed but he was trying to get away. Lisa picked up on this and turned to Horatio laughing. “Oh one of these ladies is with you?”

  Horatio grimaced and turned to point out Kennedy, who gave a quick wave in their direction.

  “That’s my woman right there. I’m off the market sweetheart.”

  “Oh well go get rid of her and get a room for lunch,” Lisa instructed nonchalantly. Lisa hardly registered Kennedy’s existence other than the big breasts she was unimpressed. Lisa went overboard touching Horatio while she provided him with a laundry list of things she wanted to do. Chaz walked over and placed his hands on Horatio’s shoulders.

  “C’mon dude, we about to roll out,” Chaz said calmly. “Nice to see you Lisa.”

  “Chaz is trying to run interference. How cute! Horatio knows he is staying here with me. Be a good friend and get rid of his little girlfriend,” Lisa said laughing and pulling Horatio towards the casino floor.

  “Funny Lisa, he has a job to do right now. You gotta take Triple Threat home.” Chaz said trying to pull Lisa’s arms from Horatio’s person. Kennedy walked over to the small group at Bella’s urging.

  “Hey its time to go baby,” she said to Horatio. He looked relieved to have her finally come to his side. Lisa scoffed and retained her hold on Horatio. Chaz backed up but was prepared in case he needed to stop any action. Mia, Callie, and Ava stood in limbo as the remaining group dispersed to their driving arrangements.

  “I have an idea why don’t you go home and I will keep talking to Horatio,” Lisa suggested as if it made the most sense. “I haven’t seen him in a while we have some catching up to do.”

  “Excuse me,” Kennedy replied. She thought Lisa was mentally ill. “Who are you?”

  “I am Lisa, a really good friend to Horatio. He is my favorite customer.” Lisa smiled and retained her hold on Horatio. Everyone was mentally urging him to introduce Kennedy as his girlfriend.

  “This is my girlfriend Kennedy,” Horatio said exasperated. His voice conveyed zero enthusiasm and Kennedy recognized it immediately. Chaz buried his face in Bella’s neck as Horatio provided that terrible introduction. He was still letting Lisa touch him and Chaz saw that he would probably be dropping off the three friends.

  “Horatio, I have to get back but my lunch is in an hour. That should give you enough time to take care of this right?” Lisa said ignoring Kennedy and the introduction. It wasn’t the first time she had spotted Horatio out with a female. She had easily shifted his attention and had a fun time with him later that evening. Now was no exception.

  “Okay well let me help you two out. I am going to get going, you do what you need to do Horatio,” Kennedy spat angrily. Horatio grabbed her arm to prevent her from walking away. Kennedy snatched away from his grasp and explained, “So eating my pussy in the hallway is a regular day in the life for the Great Horatio, enjoy.”

  Kennedy stormed off with Bella and Julie in tow.

  “Oh that sounds promising,” Lisa giggled pulling Horatio away. To her the situation had just been resolved. Horatio finally broke out of his fog as he saw Kennedy make her way to the line of taxis outside. The two friends were trying to urge her to go back in and get her man.

  “You can chalk that up to shit that is not about to happen,” Horatio said shaking his head. “That’s my woman Lisa. Have a good shift.”

  Horatio released her hold on him and ran after Kennedy. When he appeared outside the door Bella and Julie stood protectively near their friend.

  Mia walked over to Chaz giving him the once over. She said seductively, “I guess you are going to have to take us back to Ava’s car. I live far from Ava. Could you possibly drop me off to my apartment instead? It would save Ava a trip. I could go with you and Bella to the Perfect Ten.”

  Chaz was watching his friend trying to talk to Kennedy while Lisa still openly gawked. She took out a small card and gave it to Chaz.

  “See to it Horatio gets this when he works out his little problem.”

  Chaz dropped the card on the floor before turning his attention to Mia, who gazed affectionately at him. Her efforts to lead him back to her apartment even with Bella in tow could open up the opportunity for future encounters, so she thought.

  “Mia, please, not now. Remember, Bella is your friend and while that may not mean anything t
o you right now. This isn’t going to happen,” Chaz indicated the two of them. “Let’s be clear, I love Bella and only want Bella.”

  “What? I am just trying to get home,” Mia said defensively. Mia was sure he was flirting back with her and thought he would be interested. Knowing she struck out with Chaz on the first try was painful.

  “Yeah okay,” Chaz said dismissively. Cole and Myra walked with Chaz towards the front doors. Horatio was pleading with Kennedy while Bella and Julie turned their attention to the friends. Lisa was shocked that the two most womanizing men she had ever met both appeared to have settled down.

  “Go figure,” she thought as she picked up her card. Walking towards the door she decided to make matters worse.

  “If things change,” Lisa interrupted trying to put the card in Horatio’s hand. Kennedy slapped the card to the ground before turning on her heels.

  “Lisa what the fuck? I do not want your ass now go back to fucking work,” Horatio finally yelled. It was too late for Kennedy was in a taxicab. Horatio ran to the parking structure door to get his truck. Chaz ran his hands over his head before reaching for Bella. Julie gave a wave as Erik’s sister pulled up to the front door. The remaining people walked to the parking garage door with Chaz and Bella. Mia continued to sulk while Ava and Callie glared at her. When they arrived at the Hummer Chaz unlocked the door indicating they should get in. Chaz could see Bella was worried about her best friend.

  “Don’t worry baby they will work it out,” Chaz said not wanting to take sides.

  “I hope so. She loves him and that’s really hard for her to do,” Bella replied. Chaz wrapped his fiancée in his arms and kissed her tenderly.

  “I am sorry we were both such animals before we met you two.”

  “Yeah you were. I guess your line of work does not exactly encourage long lasting relationships. Why do you still do it?” Bella asked curiosity getting the better of her.

  “There are some really bad people in this world. I can’t exactly answer that except that now I have someone I want to protect with my life,” Chaz said. He hoped Mia heard this statement. He wanted her to get the bigger picture. Last night they were behaving fun and freaky but he only wanted Bella. He didn’t need this hassle and Bella didn’t need to lose a friend she just reconnected with because of some dumb crush.

  “That answer was good enough,” Bella said kissing Chaz. Bella wasn’t stupid she knew Mia was watching them. She immediately deepened the kiss slipping her tongue into Chaz’s mouth. Chaz slipped his hands down to her ass and gripped the soft flesh as he kissed her. Chaz lifted Bella carrying her to the truck and helped her inside.

  “Now every time we hang out is not that extreme,” Bella admitted. “We have fun when we go out but last night was really special.”

  “I was wondering how you would survive and go to work if you partied like that every weekend,” Callie replied laughing.

  “We know how to party but we have priorities,” Chaz added. “Bella and her continued happiness are my top priorities.”

  Bella extended her hand to Chaz who lovingly kissed the back of her hand. The ride to the parking structure was quiet. Bella hopped down from the front seat. Chaz gave them a wave and thought it best to stay in the truck and let the four friends talk. Cole and Myra gave the girls a quick wave before shutting the passenger door. Myra was happy the girls set their sights on Chaz and not Cole. When she would go to the store, from time to time, the women would be fawning over Chaz. While she thought he was attractive, she only wanted Cole. The weird part about last night’s adventure was she wanted him even more after watching him with another woman. This morning he assured her that he harbored no negative side effects from Ace having his oral way with her.

  “I am so glad we have had a chance to reconnect,” Ava said hugging Bella.

  “Me too! We used to have so much fun in college and watched each other’s backs,” Bella said for Mia’s benefit as well.

  “I am happy for you and Chaz. I can see the love and he will never bore you,” Callie added hugging Bella. Mia seemed reluctant to hug Bella, as she waited impatiently for her two friends.

  “So that’s it, you are going to spend the day crushing on my man and then not have the lady balls to hug your friend?” Bella walked over to Mia and forced a hug on the unwilling woman.

  “I am not crushing on your man. He was flirting with everyone so why am I being singled out? Besides he probably shouldn’t fuck you in front of your friends,” Mia pointed out.

  “What can I say? I am marrying a flirt. I know the effect he has on women. I know that before me he would have been all over you three. As for last night I guarantee whether you were standing there or not, Chaz would still have fucked me in that hallway. He likes pushing my once ridged boundaries.”

  “Well he should probably push those boundaries in private. I am just saying when you put it out there you get what you get. But none of this matters, I thought it was harmless flirting but apparently you thought it was more. It wasn’t.”

  Mia looked away from Bella and urged Ava to make a move for the car with her eyes. Ava was going to let the conversation play out. If Bella thought twice about inviting them to their parties because of this, Ava was going to be pissed. Aside from the cost to get into Club Flex, she spent zero dollars last night and felt thoroughly pampered.

  Bella could see she was ready to go and offered, “There are aspects of our relationship that I can’t make you privy too but let’s just say it can be life or death. I kiss him and love him every chance I get for good reason. If our public displays of affection bother anyone then I suggest they do not come around. Last night was not a regular day in the life of Bella and Chaz.”

  The conversation made Bella face Chaz’s mortality. She was so amorous with Chaz because every time he gets an assignment, he may not return to her alive.

  Mia waved a hand dismissively as if Bella was over exaggerating. “Seriously, is he like a wanted man or a drug dealer? What you two do, does not bother me but perhaps you are right I shouldn’t come around.” Mia turned to walk into the parking garage.

  “Ok well it was good seeing you guys again. Please keep in touch,” Bella said walking back to the Hummer. She had seriously hoped to reconnect with her college friends however that would not be the case. Bella knew Ava and Callie would stick by Mia even if they didn’t agree with her obvious flirting. Bella also knew that she would be constantly dealing with Chaz’s attractiveness and his flirty personality when she accepted his proposal.

  “It was nice seeing you get rid of those ridged boundaries,” Ava yelled. “Don’t be a stranger.”

  Mia shot Ava a dirty look and she ignored her friend. Callie became the voice of reason for the four ladies.

  “This is the dumbest shit ever. Mia, admit you are or were crushing on the man, hell we were all crushing on the man at some point. He is a big ass flirt. The difference is that we are adults and our friendship should mean more,” Callie yelled at Mia before turning to Bella. “Bella admit that you and Chaz are two freaky fucks who get a little carried away from time to time. We just found each other and we do not need to go our separate ways again.”

  “Ladies, I am sorry I didn’t mean to let my flirting get out of control. It all feels so harmless to me and Bella knows that I love her and only her. I knew you three thought I was a drug dealer. I get that a lot, so I go overboard trying to make women feel comfortable around me,” Chaz interrupted.

  “Our friendship should know the difference between real attraction and harmless flirting,” Ava remarked looking at Mia. Ava had been privy to Mia’s internal struggle to make a real move on Chaz.

  “Fine! It was harmless flirting and I let it go too far. I am sorry and I do not want to loose touch with you again Bella,” Mia admitted feeling like a bad friend.

  “I am sorry we went so overboard last night. We shouldn’t have forced you to witness what should have been our intimate moment,” Bella apologized. Mia walked to Bella and
the two friends hugged.

  “I have another job that puts my life in jeopardy. Bella and I try to capture every moment we can in the event something happens and I do not return. I recently returned after being gone for weeks and the three of you caught us during one of our reunion times.”

  “Why would you keep such a job now that you have Bella?” Callie asked smartly.

  “It’s not a job that I can just quit,” Chaz said returning to the truck. The three friends looked even more confused. Bella knew that Chaz hated and loved his other job. The thought of just running his businesses may seem like the logical choice but it may not be enough to fulfill him. The unknown scared Chaz more than risking his life with every assignment.

  “It’s really complicated,” Bella said, “Trust me its for the greater good, for now.” Bella offered additional hugs to her friends before returning to the truck. Cole and Myra were none the wiser to the conversation, as they openly made out in the backseat, eager to get home. After dropping Cole and Myra off to their car they made their way to the back door of the Perfect Ten. The liquor truck was sitting out back and Big Willie was directing the unloading of the bottles.

  “What the hell Big Willie?” Chaz asked with open arms as he hopped down from the truck. Bella managed to get out of the truck unaided. Big Willie looked exhausted.

  “Sorry man, my daughter went into labor last night. There was some complications with the baby but they are okay,” he said smiling.

  “Big Willie, you are a grandfather? Congrats man,” Chaz said shaking his massive hand. Big Willie beamed showing them pictures of his new granddaughter.

  “Do you need to leave Big Willie? I can handle this.”

  Bella gave Big Willie a hug and off course he tried to cop a feel.

  “Dammit Willie, I’m trying to give you the day off and you feeling on my woman.”