Chase Me

by Farrah Rochon

  Not her. She was done chasing after love.

  Her friend leaned back in her chair and crossed her stockinged feet on the desk. “That’s what I get for not taking your advice in the first place,” Mack said. “I should have listened when you told me Carter wasn’t worth my time.”

  “You were twenty-five years old and dick sprung. You weren’t listening to anyone’s advice.” Indina hunched her shoulders. “Look at the bright side; it wasn’t always bad. You and Carter had some good years in the beginning.”

  “No we didn’t,” Mack said. “I spent the first three years working to get us both through law school and the next twelve helping him to build his practice. That was never a marriage. It was a business partnership with good sex thrown in about once a week. And toward the end even that wasn’t good. I got the three strokes and I’m out treatment. He saved all his best moves for Becky with the good hair.”

  Indina grimaced. “I heard they’re getting married,” she said of the paralegal that Mack’s ex-husband had an affair with.

  Mack huffed. “As if I care. As long as it keeps his shady ass out of my life, I’m happy.”

  But she wasn’t. Indina had sensed it in her friend over the past year. She was grateful that Mack had finally ended her toxic marriage, but hated that it had all happened in such a high profile manner. But when two well-known figures were embroiled in a nasty divorce, it was bound to cause tongues to wag.

  Carter Arnold was probably one of the best-known faces in New Orleans. His fake smile adorned dozens of billboards around the city and his stale commercials flooded the late-night TV spots. When Mackenna won her seat on the city council, the two became one of the city’s most high-powered couples. When their marriage ended in a blaze of glory following Carter’s infidelity, it became fodder for every gossip blog covering local news.

  “I so wish you could come on the cruise this weekend,” Indina said. “I don’t know anyone who deserves a vacation more than you do.”

  “Tell me about it.” Mack rolled her eyes, then her brow furrowed. “What made you change your mind? Last time we talked, you were adamant about not going on the cruise yourself.”

  “I caved to my annoying brother. Harrison called this morning and laid a guilt trip on me. Said I should think about Dad and how he would feel if I didn’t show up.”

  “That was low, but apparently effective, so score one for Harrison.”

  “He’s the pain in my ass,” Indina said.

  “Oh, stop. You’re going to get on that cruise ship and forget about everything happening back here on land. Damn, I’m jealous.”

  “You can still join us. I’m sure we can find a cabin for you somewhere.”

  “Do you no longer have a spot in your room?”

  Indina pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. She and Mack were best friends, but she hadn’t shared that she was getting it on with one of her coworkers.

  “Uh, no. Griffin is coming with me.” She hoped that sounded as casual as she’d intended.

  Mack’s forehead dipped even more with her frown. “Griffin? The engineer with the nice ass who worked on the Toussaint project with you?”

  “I thought they hadn’t decided yet who the new museum would be named after?” Indina asked.

  “It will be named after Toussaint,” Mack assured her. It had been Mackenna’s idea to name the new museum celebrating New Orleans’s rich musical history after Allan Toussaint. The late musician had been one of the city’s best music ambassadors. “Is that the guy you’re talking about?”

  Indina nodded. “That’s him. He’s been the lead on the last three projects I’ve done with Sykes-Wilcox.”

  “And you’re sharing a room with him? It sounds to me like you two have been doing more than just working.” She said it jokingly, but when Indina didn’t respond Mack’s eyes grew wide. “Are you?”

  “We are,” Indina admitted, caving yet again to pressure.

  “You’re dating? I can’t believe you didn’t tell me you were dating someone.”

  “We’re not necessarily dating. We’re just…umm.” Indina bit her bottom lip. She lowered her voice and hunched forward. “Look, Griffin and I are fuck buddies, alright?”

  Mack’s brow nearly touched her hairline. She screeched. “For how long, bitch?”

  “Is that the way you address all of your constituents?”

  “For. How. Long. Bitch?”

  “About eight months,” Indina said with a laugh.

  Mack stared at her, slack-jawed and shaking her head. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me. Some kind of friend you are. You know it’s been a while since I had some. I count on my friends to let me live vicariously through them.” She sat back in her chair and folded her hands over her stomach. “Don’t hold back. I want details. Explicit details.”

  “Eww, no. I’m not giving you details,” Indina said. “There aren’t really any details to share.”

  “There hell there aren’t.”

  “Honestly, Mack, it’s nothing to fuss over. We get together, we have sex, we go about our business.”

  “But you work together almost every day.”

  She shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. We don’t discuss what we do in the bedroom anywhere but in the bedroom.” She held her hands up. “I’m only doing what men do all the time. How many times have I been just a piece of ass for a guy?”

  “So is that all he is? A piece of ass?”

  “No. Not really.”

  Well, maybe.

  But Indina didn’t think of Griffin that way. She wasn’t using him in the same way he wasn’t using here. Their relationship was mutually beneficial.

  “I don’t consider him a piece of ass, but when I think about it, I guess he is.” She shrugged. “I’ve played that role enough times in my life to know.”

  “This is the part where I’m probably supposed to tell you that all men are not like your old boyfriends and you should give Griffin a chance,” Mack said. “But after the phone call I just had with my ex I’m ready to kill all men, so Griffin is on his own.”

  “Griffin and I are exactly what we need to be to each other—sexual relief,” Indina said. “Nothing more.”

  “I have to admit I’m jealous,” Mack said. “I’d kill for my own personal Dial-A-Dick service.”

  Indina nearly choked on her laugh. “Isn’t that what most of the dating apps are these days?”

  “Can you imagine the talk it would stir up if my face showed up in a dating app? Carter Arnold prepares to marry his mistress while Council Member Arnold searches for single male with good teeth and no criminal record.”

  “Is that what we’re down to when it comes to dating criteria, good teeth and no record?”

  “I’ll even take dental implants,” Mack said. “But you can forget about getting me on a dating website.” She swiped a finger over the film of dust on the desk and brushed it off. “I’ll have to be satisfied with my ever-growing collection of sex toys. I’ve tried so many that I had to start storing them in a second drawer.”

  “You can always send another Netflix and chill invite to the cute law student.” Indina winked as she rose from her chair. “I need to get going. Now that I’m going on this cruise, I need to head to the mall for clothes to wear. And a swimsuit,” she said with a grimace.

  “Get a two-piece.”

  “Maybe if I’d kept up my gym membership.”

  “Cut that shit out. You look fabulous,” Mack said, coming from behind the desk again.

  “I can say the same about you,” Indina said. She gave her friend a hug. “Call that college student,” she whispered.

  “I just picked up a bulk-size pack of batteries from Costco. I’m good for the next few months. Oh, before you go, ” Mack said, shutting the door Indina had just opened and leaning against it. “Can you please speak to your brother? I need him to stop harassing me.”

  Indina’s chin dropped to her chest. “What did Ezra do this time?”

  “He was at my
office in City Hall on Monday, hounding my assistant about the new company that took over the garbage collection for the French Quarter. My office has told him more than once that I have no dealings with BGF Disposal, yet he still insists that I’m hiding something. He needs to get a freaking life.”

  “I’m sorry, Mack. He’s been freelancing ever since he was let go from the paper. He’s convinced if he can find a huge story he’ll get picked up by a national magazine.”

  “He needs new methods of investigating. All he’s doing now is trying to find a story where there isn’t one. Tell him if he keeps coming around I’m going to have him arrested.”

  “I’ll talk to him,” Indina said. “I promise.” She gave her friend another hug. “I probably won’t see you until after I get back from the cruise. Let’s try to get together sometime next week.”

  “Yes. I promise not to cancel this time.” Mack opened the office’s door. “Oh, and remember to bring sunscreen. Don’t believe that bullshit about black people not being able to get sunburn. It’s a crock.”

  “I will,” Indina said with a laugh.

  “And don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” Mack said. “Today Me, not College Me.”

  “But College You had so much more fun,” Indina said.

  “Fine, go on and be College Me. As long as you tell me all about it when you get back.”

  Indina looked over her shoulder and winked. “You got it.”

  Chapter 2

  Griffin turned into the parking garage on Erato Street and, after getting his ticket from the attendant, pulled into the first available spot he came across. He grabbed his bag from the trunk and quickly made his way across the street to the cruise terminal. God, he hated running late.

  He’d left his Uptown house a half hour ago, thinking he’d give himself extra time to make the fifteen-minute drive from Lowerline Avenue to the port. He hadn’t factored in catching every single traffic light, or getting stuck behind a slow-moving garbage truck.

  Griffin tried to tamp down the nervousness that had begun collecting in his gut this morning, when he realized he would meet Indina’s family today. On the one hand it shouldn’t matter what her family thought about him. He and Indina weren’t even officially a couple.

  Yet, that’s exactly what he was hoping would come of this weekend. If he could convince Indina to turn this no-strings-attached thing they had going into something more serious, her family’s impression of him would mean a helluva lot.

  Griffin spotted her standing among a bunch of chattering adults and kids gathered in the area just before the security checkpoint.

  Damn. Coming from a relatively small family, he hadn’t expected this many people. He walked up to the crowd of Holmeses.

  “Uh, hello.”

  It was as if he hadn’t spoken at all.

  “Hello,” Griffin said again, a bit louder this time.

  The chatter stopped and two dozen sets of curious eyes turned to him. He suddenly felt like a bug under a microscope.

  It didn’t take a degree in rocket science for him to figure out that Indina probably hadn’t told her family that he would be joining them on the cruise. By the looks being directed his way, not only did the Holmeses not know he would be attending their family reunion, they didn’t know about him. Period.

  “You made it,” Indina said, breaking away from the pack and coming to stand next to him. She turned to her family. “Everyone, this is Griffin Sims. Griffin this is way too many people to name at the moment. I’ll introduce you to everyone once we’ve boarded the ship.”

  “Which we need to do right now,” a guy with Indina’s hazel-colored eyes said. He held his hand out to him. “I’m Harrison; her brother,” he said, tilting his head toward Indina. “Glad to have you on board.”

  “Thanks,” Griffin said.

  “Okay, let’s get going,” Harrison said.

  Several of her family members came over to greet him as they all made their way toward the security line. Their smiles seemed genuine, if a bit curious.

  This was going better than Griffin had expected. Maybe it was a good thing he’d arrived at the last minute. It didn’t leave much time for Indina’s family to question the new guy. Of course, he would be on a cruise ship with them for three days. There would be plenty time for questions.

  One guy, who looked as if he ate linebackers for lunch, introduced himself as Indina’s baby brother, Reid.

  “So, how do you know Dennie?” Reid ask as he hefted his bag onto the conveyor belt.

  “We’re coworkers,” Griffin answered.

  “Coworkers, huh? What kind of work do you do?”

  “None of your business,” Indina interjected. “And if you call me Dennie again I’m going to hurt you.”

  “I was just trying to make conversation,” Reid said. “Stop being so damn testy.”

  “Stop being so damn nosy.”

  “Okay, what are we fighting about now?” An older gentleman stepped up to where they’d gathered just past the security checkpoint.

  “Indina’s being her old mean self again,” Reid said.

  “And this one is being a pest, as usual,” Indina returned.

  “Neither of you are too old for timeout,” the man, who must have been Indina’s dad, said.

  “Old man, stop pretending you know anything about timeout,” Reid said. He hooked a thumb toward his father. “This one gave more whippings than anyone else on the block.”

  “And I’m sure if I looked hard enough I could find a switch for you right now,” he said.

  Indina burst out laughing. “Griffin, this is my dad, Clark Holmes. Dad, this is my coworker, Griffin Sims.” She gave her father a kiss on the cheek. “And, for the record, I never once got a whipping.”

  Reid grunted as he moved toward the front of the line of Holmeses preparing to board the ship.

  If not for the head of gray hair, Griffin would have thought Clark Holmes was too young to have a daughter in her forties. He was solidly built, with muscles that bunched underneath the sleeves of his polo shirt, much like his two sons Griffin had met already this afternoon.

  He took Clark’s proffered hand and noted the strength in his grip.

  “Nice to meet you,” the older man said. “Happy to have you along for the reunion.” With that, Indina’s father continued on with the rest of the family as they made their way across a Plexiglas-enclosed gangway.

  Griffin caught the hem of Indina’s shirt and tugged, stunting her progress.

  She looked back at him with a frown. “What?”

  “Did anyone in your family even know I was coming along?” Griffin whispered.

  “Uh, no,” she said. “Well, my brother, Harrison, knew I was bringing someone. He just didn’t know who.”

  “You didn’t think it would be better to let everyone know in advance?”

  “Do you see how many people are here? There’s twenty-five total, not including the two of us. How was I even supposed to let them know?”

  “Email?” he suggested with a shrug. “Or maybe an old-fashioned phone call?”

  Indina snorted. “Yeah, right. Look, just relax and enjoy the weekend. Well, as much as you can relax around this crew. Watch what you say. My family can be a bit…well…nosy.”

  “Oh, nice,” he said.

  “It’ll be fine.” Indina grabbed his arm and pulled him along. “Come on. According to my cousin, Toby, there’s a huge buffet as soon as we board the ship. I skipped breakfast this morning and I am starving.”

  They filed onto the ship, and were directed to the lido deck, which did indeed have the biggest buffet Griffin had ever seen in his thirty-eight years on planet Earth. He loaded his plate with peel-and-eat shrimp, and settled at one of the four tables Indina’s cousins managed to commandeer for them. An older woman, who’d introduced herself as Indina’s Aunt Margo, sat at the table with them. She explained that she was a Holmes by marriage, having been married to Indina’s late uncle, Wesley.

  A few
minutes later, a man Griffin recognized, but couldn’t quite place, set a plate in front of Margo and took the seat next to her. She introduced him as her husband, Gerald Mitchell, and the light bulb in Griffin’s head instantly went off. Gerald Mitchell was one of the top lawyers in New Orleans. He frequently appeared on the local evening news whenever there was a high-profile case that warranted commentary.

  As they ate, they chatted about the upcoming football season, debating the Saints’ chances of making it to the playoffs. Griffin learned soon after moving to New Orleans seven years ago that Saints football was a topic of utmost importance, and that everyone had an opinion on it.

  He eyed the buffet stations, but after all the shrimp he’d just inhaled, Griffin knew he wouldn’t be able to fit in anything else. Indina’s younger brother didn’t seem to have that problem. Griffin stopped counting after Reid’s third visit to the buffet. He figured the guy either hit the gym hard or worked a job that required manual labor, because he didn’t carry an ounce of flab.

  When they were almost done with the meal, Harrison Holmes stood and addressed the entire clan.

  “The luggage won’t be delivered until after the muster, which is mandatory. This is where they give us instructions on what to do in case of emergency.”

  “Is the ship going to sink?” a little girl with braids down to the middle of her back asked.

  “No, Zoey. I promise we won’t sink,” Harrison said. “Your muster point should be on the front of your door key. I think we’re all in Section J, except for Indina and her friend, since they were added on at the last minute.”

  Griffin noticed a few more curious looks being thrown his way, but, once again, those looks were accompanied by smiles. He felt a little more at ease, especially after sharing a table with Indina’s aunt and uncle-in-law, who spoke with him as if they’d known him all their lives.

  After the “Welcome Aboard” buffet, there was a vessel-wide call for everyone to convene at their respective muster points where they were all told what to do in the unlikely case they would have to abandon ship. They were ordered to line up according to their cabin numbers, with the tallest person in the back. Griffin stepped in behind Indina and listened intently as their designated muster captain strutted back and forth, speaking instructions into a bullhorn while two crewmembers demonstrated how to properly secure a life jacket.