by Paula Cox
“No, you were great,” Chelsea said shaking her head. “It’s just...” She stopped not sure what else she should say. “You really helped me out when I was in a bad time and I thought that I could do this, but I can’t.”
“Why not?” He asked.
“There’s someone else. Someone I think I love and I just can’t do this. I can’t have a fake relationship and hide the real one.”
“Why not? Do you really want your real relationship slapped across the front of those sleazy tabloids? Do you want your real heartbreak to be national news? It’s better this way; we control every aspect of it. Trust me, I’ve been in the business a long time. I know what I’m talking about.”
“I know, and you make a lot of sense. But I just can’t do it.”
“Can’t, or won’t? If this guy is pressuring you to end this then maybe he’s not the guy for you. Does he understand what it takes to be famous? If he’s pressuring you-”
“He’s not pressuring me,” Chelsea interrupted. “I’m saying no. I’m saying I don’t want to do this anymore. Thank you for everything, and we can tell the press it ended amicably, but it is over.”
“All right fine,” Ryan said, his voice short and clipped. “But your career isn’t looking so good. You’ve cancelled a bunch of tour dates and promotional shows. No one’s going to know about your album if you don’t promote it. You keep going the way you’re going and you’re not going to have a career soon and don’t think you can come crying back to me when the whole thing falls apart. Pop stars are a dime a dozen. If you end this, I’m going to find some other pop star to date and her album is going to blow yours away, Chelsea. So I’m giving you one last chance to think about this.”
“Yeah, I’m good. Bye, Ryan,” Chelsea said ending the call.
She walked to her house and wondered why she let her team talk her into dating Ryan Baron in the first place. She had been in a desperate position and she never should have done it. Having a fake relationship to increase her album sales wasn’t who she was. She wasn’t some Hollywood phony and she wasn’t some sugary sweet perfect all American girl. She was Chelsea Riley, a girl who liked to go to clubs and have a good time. She liked to play the guitar and she wanted to be with Blue. She wanted everyone to know that she was with Blue; she wanted to make her album title Chelsea and Blue 4ever and scream it from the mountaintops.
Colleen was sitting at the kitchen table drinking a cup of tea as Chelsea entered the house. Without a word her mother stood up and walked over to her and pulled her into a hug. She rested her hand on Chelsea’s head and smoothed her hair like she used to when Chelsea was little.
“You were gone for so long, I was starting to get worried,” Colleen whispered.
“I know, I’m sorry. I was with Paul,” Chelsea explained.
She hadn’t told her mother the plan or that she was working with the FBI. She was sure she would forbid it or would want to go in herself. Colleen had already been through so much; her daughter was missing and she had almost married a monster and Chelsea didn’t want to make her feel worse. Sometimes daughters needed to protect their mothers.
“I miss Blue,” Chelsea whispered into her mother’s shoulders and she fought back tears.
“I know, baby,” her mother whispered, rubbing Chelsea’s back. There was nothing else she could say. She couldn’t promise it would be okay or promise she could make everything better. Colleen was Chelsea’s mother, but she wasn’t a superhero; she was just a woman just like Chelsea. The days when Chelsea could have run to her mother with her problems were long over. She needed to be the adult now; she needed to solve her own problems. If only it wasn’t so hard.
“By this time tomorrow this will all be over,” Colleen said, looking at Chelsea, her face a forlorn frown.
“Yeah,” Chelsea said with a shaky smile.
“Get some sleep, baby,” her mom said. “I had some men pull you and your sister’s beds from storage. I moved all the gym equipment, so it almost looks like your old room now. You should go lie down and remember better times.”
She could spend tonight remembered better days and tomorrow she would spend all day waiting for the phone to ring. Once she knew the time and location she would have to go watch two men kill each other while an audience watched. But she would be strong, no more tears, no more crying she was going to stay strong and focused and she was going to bring Terrance down and get Blue back.
Chapter Forty Three
Lying in her childhood bed didn’t make her feel like a little kid anymore. She felt old and useless and mostly alone. She looked to the right where Jamie’s bed sat empty. Without her sister there to whisper and joke with the bedroom felt cold and lonely. Chelsea tossed and turned and watched the clock next to her as it moved slowly.
She tossed and turned for an hour and then sometime near midnight she realized sleep was not going to happen. She tossed her covers aside and got dressed and then had no idea what to do with herself. She wanted to see Blue, that was the only thing. She wanted to see him or talk to him, anything. It had only been a day, but already she missed him more than she could have imagined.
So why don’t you go see him? You know where he is. The realization hit Chelsea and for a moment she debated her options. She could see him; she needed to see him. He could die tomorrow, or he could end up in jail. Tonight might be the last night they could ever have together. Was she really going to spend it apart from him?
Chelsea started her car and drove quickly to Terrance’s house. She parked a few blocks away and hurried to his house and then ducked through the shadows and ran across the lawn. She hugged the side of the house and looked up at the windows, searching for one that had a light on. There was one in the basement; she could see where a small, square window peeked over the grass. Chelsea dropped to her hands and knees and peered through it.
The room was small and bare. It was clearly the servant’s quarters. Blue’s room had a single bed and a small table with a chair and nothing else in it. And then she saw him. He must have just come out of the shower. He was walking naked towards the bed, his body still wet from the shower as he dried his hair with a towel.
Chelsea tapped three times on the window. She watched as Blue froze then he dropped the towel and took a fighting stance. He looked up at the window and seemed startled to see her. He grabbed his towel from the floor and wrapped it around his waist. Blue walked over to the small window and pried it open.
“What are you doing here?!” he hissed.
“I wanted to see you,” Chelsea said. “I miss you and I just needed to see you. Let me in, I can crawl through the window.”
“You can’t fit through there,” he said.
“Take the screen out,” Chelsea whispered. Blue shook his head but at the same time he pulled the screen out of the window. Chelsea put her arms through first and began to pull herself through the small opening, shifting her hips in order to fit through. Blue took her arms and pulled her the last of the way catching her in his arms and lowering her to the floor.
Once she was on her feet Chelsea put her arms around Blue and kissed him deeply. He was still warm from the shower and he smelled like ivory soap and tasted like toothpaste. His warm hands made their way up Chelsea’s back and she sighed as she leaned into him.
“I missed you,” she whispered into his ear as she kissed his neck and felt the scratch of his stubble against her cheek.
“I missed you, too,” he said squeezing her tightly and then letting her go. “But you should go,” he said glancing back at the closed door. “If Terrance finds out you’re here, I don’t know what might happen. I don’t want you to get hurt, Chelsea. It’s the one thing I can’t handle.”
“I got it,” Chelsea said. She ran to the desk and grabbed the chair and stuck it under the door to keep it closed. She turned around smiled at Blue as he crossed his arms and shook his head.
“It’s works,” she said with a shrug of her shoulders. She looked around at the sparse room.
There was no carpet on the floor and the room was chilly and there was one lone light on the desk. “Why are you down here? There are like ten empty bedrooms upstairs, why are you here?”
“Terrance thinks easy environments make men weak. A hard environment makes men strong. It toughens them up. He thinks you can get too used to comfort and then you forget what it is you’re capable of handling.”
“I think that sounds dumb,” Chelsea said shaking her head.
“Yeah, it’s not my favorite thing,” Blue said as he rifled through his bag and pulled out a pair of boxer shorts and a t-shirt and dressed quickly.
“So, I have to tell you something, but you can’t be mad,” Chelsea said.
Blue looked over at her in concern and she told him everything. She told him about her and Paul contacting the FBI and the SWAT team that was on the ready for Terrance’s call.
“Chelsea, you shouldn’t have done that,” Blue hissed.
“I knew you were going to say that,” Chelsea said shaking her head. “But I don’t need you to protect me and I’m not going to sit back and do nothing while you do this fight. But this means you can’t kill your opponent. If you do you could go to jail for a long time, Blue. You have to stall as best you can.”
“Stall, in a fight? That’s not how it works, Chelsea. It’s a fight to the death. I can’t not fight; if I don’t, he wins. This isn’t like a movie. I have to give it my all or I will be the one who dies.”
He sat down on the bed and motioned for Chelsea to join him. She sat down next to him and together they laid back as she rested her head against his chest.
“Are you nervous about tomorrow?” Chelsea asked.
“I don’t really get nervous the night before a fight. I only get nervous right before I’m about to walk into the ring. Just the walk to the ring, that’s the only time. When all these strangers are cheering me on and patting me on the back...” he looked away, unable to continue.
“So what are you feeling right now? Because I’m nervous as hell. I can’t eat, I can’t sleep, I can’t do anything but worry about tomorrow.”
“I feel ready,” Blue answered. “I feel like I’ve never stopped training. The Army isn’t exactly easy, you know? I went from one fight to another and it’s never really stopped. But I’ve never gone soft in all these years, so I feel ready. I was training today and it all just came right back to me. I never really had the chance to forget.”
“But this fight is different,” Chelsea whispered.
“Yeah, I’m trying not to think about that.”
Chelsea turned over and snuggled into Blue’s chest as his hand came up and massaged her back.
“So, what are you thinking about?” Chelsea asked.
“You mostly. I feel like everything reminds me of you. There’s that pizza place on Main Street that we used to go to, remember? We had our favorite booth in the corner where we used to play cards.”
“Life in a small town,” Chelsea said shaking her head. “My mom used to complain about me coming home smelling like pizza and garlic bread; she said the smell was bad for her diet.”
“Then there was that crappy diner on Ninth Street. You were smoking cigarettes and hiding it from your mom. We used to sit and drink coffee and you would smoke and write my English papers for me.”
“I’ve never known anyone to hate Shakespeare as much as you did.”
“As much as I do. I still think he’s an overrated hack.”
“That’s because you were reading it. Shakespeare’s plays were meant to be performed, not read in a classroom.”
“Please tell me this isn’t going to lead to that rant about you not getting the part of Juliet in the school play, is it?”
“That was a disgrace. They chose Harper Madison over me? She had the most stilted line readings I’ve ever heard! They only gave to her because she had perfect attendance and straight As and because I was suspended during the auditions. Stupid Coach Carson caught me smoking in the bathroom. She was such a bitch.”
“I know and I agree with you,” Blue said nodding. “We’ve been over this so many times. Harper Madison has nothing on you.”
“Thank you,” Chelsea said.
She propped herself up on her elbow and gave him a kiss on his cheek and then she kissed him again on his lips, his hand coming around her body and pulling her closer.
Chapter Forty Four
He kissed her deeply. His hand rested on her neck with his thumb just behind her ear. He guided her and held her closed and refused to let her go. Chelsea slipped her tongue into his mouth, running it over his lips as her hand ran up and down his chest. Blue’s hands were travelling south. He reached down and caressed her back and then went lower, running his hand over her ass and then squeezing her cheek and pulling her leg up over his.
Blue broke the kiss and sat up, gently removing Chelsea’s ratty sweater and her old high school t-shirt. He flung them aside and then unbuttoned her jeans and tugged them down her legs as Chelsea kicked off her shoes. He came back up and kissed her before using his large hands to turn her onto her stomach.
Blue hovered over her as he kissed the back of her neck and squeezed her breast through her bra. Chelsea was pinned to the bed and she relaxed as she felt him unsnap her bra and gently remove it. She turned to her side and reached for him, wanting to kiss him again, to feel his tongue on hers. They kissed and Blue reached over and put his mouth over her breast, kissing, sucking, and gently biting the nipples as Chelsea closed her eyes and surrendered herself to him.
He got up on his knees and pulled his shirt off as Chelsea sat up and ran her hands up and down his firm chest. She traced the lines of his pectorals and ran her fingers over his nipples until he tilted her chin up so he could kiss her again.
His erection was pushing against the thin fabric of his boxers and Chelsea reached down and freed it, feeling his hard cock in her hand. She smiled up at him and then took him entirely in her mouth. She ran her tongue over the head of his cock as she ran her hands up and down the base. Blue moaned and ran his hands through her hair. She could have continued, but he tilted her head up and then gently pushed her down until she was flat on her back on the bed.
Blue slid down her body kissing his way between her breasts and down her flat stomach until he slipped his tongue inside of her. Chelsea groaned in pleasure as she grabbed the blankets with her hands and Blue continued to slowly tease her with his tongue. He was slow and dedicated and took his time. His tongue slid over Chelsea’s clit until she was on the verge of climax. She buried her hands in his hair as her body tensed beneath her.
Yes, she wanted this so badly. She needed it. She had missed him so much. She never wanted to be parted from him. She wanted him to always be doing this in bed with him. Chelsea’s back arched as electricity pounded through her veins. “Blue,” she sighed. “Yes, please.” She knew she needed to be quiet, not wanting to alert Terrance she was there. But Blue was teasing her and she was so close, keeping her right on the edge of pleasure, and she was desperate to fall to the other side. His tongue continued to work long strokes over her and then her legs began to shake and it was too much and her orgasm exploded over her and she held onto Blue’s shoulders and whispered his name as her body tensed and then relaxed and she was left panting in bed.
He smiled up at her from between her legs and that smile was all it took to raise Chelsea. She sat up and put her hand on Blue’s chest and pushed him down onto his back. She gave him a wicked smile as she crawled her way up his body until she was straddling him. But she didn’t let him enter her. She took his cock in her hand and began to rub it along her, letting the head of his penis stroke her.
“Yes,” Blue murmured. “I want you.”
She looked over at him and then leaned down and kissed him slowly. His cock was still touching her but not inside of her and she could feel it growing harder and longer as he moaned. She kissed his neck and bit his earlobe and continued to grind herself on top of it.
Blu
e reached for his bag by the bed and pulled out a condom. Chelsea took it from him and unrolled it over his hard cock.
“I want to fuck you,” Blue whispered as his hands dug into her hips.
Chelsea sat back and took his penis in her hand and gently guided it inside of her. Blue’s eyes closed in pleasure as he pushed himself inside of her. Chelsea whispered his name as she felt her body move to accommodate him.
She moved on top of him, pushing down onto him, taking her time as her body moved above his. Blue reached up and took her breasts in his hands as he kissed them and then threw his head back and grabbed her hips with his hands and guided her movements, making her go faster and harder.
Then he was sitting up and with his cock still buried deep inside of her Blue flipped them over. He lifted Chelsea’s one leg so it rested against her neck and he drove himself deep into her as Chelsea cried out his name. His body moved above hers and Chelsea could feel every inch of him as he went in and out of her.
