by Joyia Marie
Any reporter worth their salt would do a little research first. If they came to me, I’d lie through my teeth and I know Sonya would do the same, for me. She may not understand all my reasoning, but she would know this isn’t something I want right now.
The best defense is a good offense is something I’ve heard more than once so my next call was to Raphael. I need artillery for when Jillian came calling. If she threatened to go to the press then I need to give her a reason why that might not be in her best interest.
The one thing I would not do was pay her. She already had my husband and soon my house and kids. The last two I gave up for the higher good, but it still rankled she had dipped her talons into my family. I had bent all I intended to for this girl.
She might just use this as leverage to get me to go home so she and Harold the idiot could ride off into the sunset. If it came to that and I couldn’t get around it, I’d go back. I grew up without a dad and I was okay. Pretty much. On most days. Really, I was fine.
I dialed Raphael glad it was Tuesday, so he could talk. I didn’t need a hairdresser or a shoulder to cry on, I needed a Marine. If anyone could get me the dirt on Jillian it would be him. Between the gay grapevine and his military connections, I’d know who Jillian lost her virginity to very soon.
“Raffie,” I said borrowing the kid’s nickname for him. “I need a favor.”
“I told you, anything. What do you need?” Raphael said quickly. I couldn’t hear the salon in the background so I think I caught him in his office. Good, the less people who heard this conversation the better.
“I need to know about Jillian,” I said just as quickly.
“Okay, give me 24 hours,” he said. I stared at the phone. Yeah, he said anything but I didn’t expect anything with no explanations. That was deep and I’d appreciate it later when I had time. Now I was just grateful to have Raphael in my life.
“Don’t you want to know why,” I said, unable to take the gift and move on. It was a stupid question. If he said yeah, what was I going to say? Raphael wasn’t one of the ones in on the big LV secret.
Not because I didn’t trust him, but he’d never been very interested in my writing. Raphael reads, but it tended toward soldier stories and I didn’t write those. He’d listen if I wanted to natter on while he did my hair, but he didn’t initiate the conversation.
“Nope, I know why. You want to know about the woman who’s going to be around your kids. So do I, which is why if you hadn’t suggested this I was going to. Or just do it,” Raphael said patiently.
“Yeah,” I said and let it go. In a way he was right. This was for the kids just not in the way he thought. If it weren’t for this, I would probably take Jillian at face value and do clean up afterward if necessary. Raphael was much more proactive than I was.
“Okay, well, I’ll leave you to it,” I said. “I’ll come by tomorrow around this time to pick it up.”
“Sounds good. I’ll see you then,” Raphael said crisply, then hung up the phone.
Okay, I told myself, got some things in play. I’m sure Raphael would be through and soon I’d have ammunition in my hot little hand. What I did with that ammunition was up to her.
Chapter Forty-Five: Aiden
Aiden walked around Helen’s loft, the following Monday, with a faint smile. It was coming along well. The windows were installed so at least now it wasn’t open to the elements. The security system was installed, although he got the feeling it was too little too late.
Aiden wondered absently for the millionth time what was on the jump drive that had Helen in such an uproar. She tried to play it off, but the stark fear on her face told the true tale. She was shaken and she was scared.
He cursed himself for about that many times for not sticking the thing in his pocket. Hanging it on that nail had seemed like a good idea at the time but, it wasn’t. He was almost sure that that blond woman had taken it. He put his best and most loyal workers on this job and he’d bet money they wouldn’t risk their job for something so cheap.
“Hey, man,” Aiden heard a deep voice behind him say, “Charlise said you’d probably be here. I came to see if you wanted to grab lunch. I started to hit you up on your cell, but I was right around the corner so I dropped by.”
Aiden turned and looked at his best friend, Theo. He and Theo had grown up on the same street, gone to the same schools, and even dated the same women. Theo was his road dog as his father used to tease him. Aiden wasn’t sure what that meant, but it sounded about right.
Aiden hadn’t seen Theo in months. He was on the road with his latest designs. Theo was a clothes designer. Theo had come sauntering out of the closet not too long after high school graduation and never looked back. His parents hadn’t been as shocked as anyone had expected.
Theo looked as straight as a ruler did with his six-foot football player build. His blond haired, blue-eyed good looks attracted many a feminine sigh at the ‘waste’. Theo was quick to assure them that nothing was being wasted.
He went to college for fashion design and was making a name for himself. His design studio was here in the warehouse district so Aiden knew he was hard at work. He wasn’t Versace yet, but he would be soon. Beyonce was a big fan and wore one of his dresses to the Grammy’s. The rumor was her mother had not been pleased.
“What’s up, Buttercup? You look down,” Theo said after they did the one armed man hug.
“Nothing, I just messed up,” Aiden said honestly.
“ I have faith in you, dude, you’ll fix it. You always do,” Theo said loyally. “You can tell me about it over lunch.
Aiden gave a nod, told his crew that they were doing a good job and left with his friend. He knew his crew was wondering why he was giving this small job, small in the theme of the company, so much attention but they were working their heart out for him. The job would be done on time if not early.
“Okay,” Theo said when they were seated at a favorite restaurant. Theo lived on Mexican food or Tex-Mex and swore the only place to get some was Texas. “Tell big bro all about it.”
Aiden smiled at the reference. He and Theo were both the only boys in their families so they made each other brother and since Theo was the oldest by about three months, he got to be ‘Big Bro’.
Aiden’s smile dropped and he sighed. He opened his mouth and let the whole saga of Helen run out. Theo listened and munched on chips and salsa while Aiden talked. He asked a question now and then for clarification.
“The worst part is I don’t know why that jump drive is so important. She keeps saying it’s not, but she acts like it has the cure to cancer on it,” Aiden ended in frustration.
“Helen Dudley,” Theo said thoughtfully. “Nope, not ringing a bell. Maybe she’s some big name, author and that’s her next book. But that still doesn’t answer the question of why she’s freaking out so hard if it’s just an out of date copy of her latest book.”
Aiden laughed bitterly, “That’s the only question you have? You’re doing better than me. I don’t know diddley about this woman other than she’s a writer, she’s getting a divorce and she has kids I didn’t even know about until a few days ago.”
“So what else do you want to know? Why don’t you just ask her?” Theo asked, his brows raised.
Aiden knew he was freaking Theo out with the way he was acting. He was freaking himself out, but he was getting used to it. It felt like he hadn’t had a peaceful moment since he met Helen.
“Before every time she and I get together, I mean to. Then we get together and I get distracted,” Aiden confessed his cheeks flushed.
Theo looked at him for a long time, then a big grin spread over his face, “well, ding dong the witch is dead.”
Aiden looked at his friend in puzzlement, wondering if Theo’s margarita was hitting him harder than usual. Aiden was drinking a soda and made a note to drive back to the loft. He hoped that Theo would be fine after that. If not, he’d have a worker follow him with his car while he drove Theo back to his stu
dio.
“Don’t look at me like that, player. I’m not drunk, as if the weak margaritas here could get me like that. I’m happy. The witch I’m referring to is Alicia. About time, you stopped sitting Shiva for that skank,” Theo said as he scooped up some more salsa.
Aiden looked at his friend and thought, he’s right. Aiden hadn’t seen or talked to Alicia in a while, but he hadn’t been exactly playing the field either. He had had one final meeting with the married woman when he told her exactly what he thought about her.
“See this,” he said seconds after Alicia walked through the door of his loft. “This is the ring I bought for your skanky ass. I guess I was late since your husband’s ring was already there.”
Alicia had looked at the ring in amazement, then her eyes met his. “That is so sweet,” she said as her eyes returned to the diamond solitaire.
He could almost see the wheels turning in her head. Before she could say anything else he continued,” I don’t know what game you’re playing, but I don’t appreciate you putting me on the field without a copy of the rules. Your husband showed up at my job today and cursed me out in front of my crew. Funny, as much as we talked I don’t remember you mentioning a husband.”
Alicia frowned and Aiden could see her trying to figure out a way out of this. He had purposely not mentioned any of this on the phone as he wanted to see her face and he didn’t like what he was seeing. Why hadn’t he seen this before?
Alicia was a player and a gold digger. He had seen the way she looked at his place and the way her eyes kept flickering to that ring. She wanted that ring and was trying to figure out a way to get it. Aiden smirked bitterly ‘good luck with that’, he thought.
“Aiden, I didn’t mention my husband because things haven’t been good with us lately. That night I met you I was seriously thinking about leaving him. I just didn’t expect to fall for you so hard,” she said softly, her green eyes shimmering with tears. “Haven’t you ever met the right person at the wrong time,” she finished putting her hand on his arm.
“Yeah, I guess you could say that,” he said, brushing her hand off his arm.
Alicia’s eyes widened as she figured out what he was saying. “Look, Aiden, I know I should have told you but you know now. Can’t we just stay together and work this out? I’ll get a divorce and we can be together.”
“That would be a no,” Aiden said firmly. All the love he thought he felt for her was wounded when her husband showed up at his job. It died when he realized Alicia was out for Alicia and the only reason she wanted him was what he could give her.
Alicia was still in there plugging away when Aiden finally gently pushed her out of the door. He tossed the ring on the coffee table to go back to the jewelers tomorrow and swore off women for a while. He needed some time to think.
He didn’t take Alicia’s calls and eventually she stopped calling. Aiden avoided the clubs and poured himself into his job and his artwork. He even did a portrait of Alicia, which he found ironic.
Alicia had begged him for months to paint her after he let the fact he was a painter slip. The only reason he did one now was it seemed like the only way to purge her from his system. He spent time with his family and friends, but no women. He didn’t trust them anymore.
Until now, until Helen, he thought and just my luck she’s married too. But she’s getting a divorce, his conscious reminded him. He tried to beat back that flare of happiness. After their last phone call, it might not matter.
She hadn’t sounded too happy with him and she hadn’t called back. He left a couple of messages about the progress on her loft, but she hadn’t called back. He wondered if she was avoiding him or just wrapped up in retrieving that jump drive.
“Hey man, your food’s getting cold,” Theo said, bringing him back to the present. Aiden started and realized the enchilada plate, he had ordered was sitting in front of him. He wondered when the server had brought the food, then shrugged it off and dug in.
He moaned in appreciation and vowed to make Tex-Mex his next field of culinary study. He had studied comfort food from his mom and learned Italian from a book, but now he wanted to branch out into Tex-Mex. He knew Theo would be happy to be a guinea pig for his experimentation. Theo was honest enough to let him know when he missed the mark.
“So what are you thinking about so hard, Moonbeam?” Theo asked between bites of his meal.
“Still trying to figure this out,” Aiden said as he took a sip of his soda. The food was good, but spicy and he looked around for the server for a refill.
“ I’m sure you will,” Theo said encouragingly and concentrated on his meal.
Aiden felt a little put out. Theo was sure he’d figure it out? How so, when Aiden wasn’t sure of any such thing? Helen’s silence didn’t bode well, in the figuring it out department. If Helen had jumped ship, then any figuring it out on Aiden’s part was moot.
Suddenly all his questions devolved into one. Were he and Helen over before they even began? He reached for his cell phone to answer that one provocative question then he stopped himself. What could he say that he hadn’t said before or made him sound like an egotistical jerk?
I don’t mind that you’re married? That would be a lie, because Aiden minded quite a bit and was counting down the days until her divorce was final. He wasn’t banking on the three months she mentioned, but he had high hopes.
I don’t mind you have kids? That would be true, but he would still like to know why her kids were with their father instead of Helen. Was her husband being a jerk, and painting Helen as some kind of unfit mother? Was Helen an unfit mother?
He brushed that concern to the side. Helen might not come across as the cookie-baking mom of the fifties, but he couldn’t picture her as unfit. Her children were thrilled to see her Saturday now that he looked back on it. They were eager to go with her, leading the way to the SUV the other man was driving.
Aiden left his cell phone where it was and looked at his friend desperately. Theo looked at him with kind eyes and repeated his earlier words, “you’ll figure it out.”
Chapter Forty-Six: Aiden
Aiden hoped so because of all the stuff he didn’t know he did know this, he wasn’t ready to be over with Helen. He wanted to see where all the heat with them would lead besides the obvious when they could finally explore it. He wanted to know what it would be like to be climbed like a tree. He wanted Helen.
That thought made him freeze. That wasn’t an ‘I want Helen in my bed’ or ‘I want Helen in my life for a little while’. That was an ‘I want Helen period’. As in for all time. Aiden had never felt like that about a woman.
Even with Alicia, his aborted proposal was a knee jerk reaction to her busy life. For some stupid reason he thought if they were married, they have to spend more time together. Aiden shivered as he realized what a bullet he had dodged.
If he and Alicia had married, chances were eventually he’d be the screaming man in another innocent man’s life. Women like Alicia never changed. Cheaters cheated, that’s just the way it was.
“When did you become all strong and silent type?” Aiden joked putting his thoughts away for later, “I thought you gay guys lived to emote and share. Where’s my emoting and sharing?”
Theo gave him a level look, “I’m not that kind of gay guy. Since I’m the only gay guy you got, you’re going to have to deal with my version of tough love. The last thing you need is someone adding to that mess I can see swirling around in your head. I’ll give you a few days to process and check back in. If needed, I will emote and share my little gay heart out.”
Aiden laughed, then went back to his meal. He did feel better. Nothing was solved, but he's had his ‘road dog’ on his six so he’d be fine. He’d figure out what to do about Helen in time and go on from there.
The two friends finished lunch by catching Theo up on what was going on since he was out of town. They chatted easily and Theo insisted on picking up the check. “Put your money back in your pocket,” he tol
d Aiden even though Aiden had pulled out a debit card. “My idea, my treat. I still owe you for keeping me fed during the early lean years of starting my label.”
Aiden flushed, then put his card away. Theo didn’t owe him anything. When Theo’s parents passed due to a car accident, Theo had mourned then put the money from their life insurance into starting his own label.
Everyone thought he was crazy. Designers interned with a big name designer for years, then they started a label. Not fresh out of design school, but Theo was adamant.
“Man, I’m young and if this all goes up in flames I still have time to recover. So why not take a shot? It’s what my parents would have wanted,” Theo told Aiden one evening over beers when Aiden gently probed to make sure his friend wasn’t just doing something risky out of misplaced grief over his parents.
The start was a little shaky as the clothing market was hard to get into and many a night Theo showed up at Aiden’s right around dinner time for a hot meal. Theo would eat as if this was the first thing he had had to eat all day. Aiden never mentioned it, but always made sure to make plenty for Theo to take home.
“Theo, take it,” Aiden told him. “You know I cook like I’m still living at home and if you don’t take it, then I’ll end up eating this all week. Help a brother out.”
“Since you are my brother, then fine,” Theo would say before hustling out the door with his brimming food containers.
Theo was the one who made Aiden get Styrofoam containers, as he was notoriously bad about bringing back food storage containers. Every now and then Aiden would raid Theo’s home and retrieve his containers. He finally broke down and bought a case of Styrofoam containers.
Aiden smiled and knew his days of buying Styrofoam by the case were over. Theo was doing well and his label was making inroads into the finer boutiques. His friend was about to blow up and become a force in the fashion industry. A couple of meals here and there were small prices to pay for helping his friend live his dream. One of them needed to.
