Real Love 7 (Love Knows No Bounds)

by H. H. Fowler

  “I forgive you,” she said. “But can I say something and you won’t take it the wrong way?”

  “I won’t…you’ve been my trusted advisor and friend for almost ten years.”

  “I’m glad you still see me that way,” Ms. Hive said. She gave him a motherly stare before continuing. “You know from the beginning how I felt about this whole business with Annalise. I never approved of the marriage and her having so much control over the professional side of your music. By your own choice, you have made her your wife and allowed her to do as she feels. I have resigned myself to the inevitable: Annalise and I will never get along. I just have to make the best out of our tolerance for each other.

  “However, losing a baby – especially the way Annalise did – is not something I want my worst enemy to experience. Now on to the point I’ve been meaning to get to…I’ve noticed that you’ve been spending a lot of your free time with another woman.”

  “Tread lightly, Ms. Hive,” Armando warned. “It’s not what you think.”

  “Regardless of what I think, it doesn’t look good, abandoning your wife to hang out with that woman.”

  “I am not abandoning Annalise.”

  “Are you sure of that?”

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “For one, you’re alone at the pool when you should be in your hotel room, comforting your wife. I hate to rehash it, Armando, but both of you have lost a baby just three days ago…you two need each other…And who is this other woman, by the way, who has you acting so unseemly?”

  Armando flung back a few of his dreadlocks that had gotten loose from a stylish cloth he’d used to support the weight of his hair. However, his movement caused the cloth to come loose completely, making the rest of his dreadlocks to fan across his back. He made no attempt to fix it.

  “I will be completely honest with you, Ms. Hive,” Armando said. “I don’t want to be anywhere near my wife at the moment. She’s not taking the loss of our baby well at all.”

  “This is exactly what I’m trying to explain to you –”

  “What I meant,” Armando attempted to elucidate, “is that Annalise has become a complete basket case, going off the hinges in ways I’ve never seen before.”

  Ms. Hive pinned Armando with a curious stare. “Explain.”

  “Well, for starters, she checked herself out of the hospital, just hours after she’d lost the baby. I woke up the following morning and she’s sitting in a chair, staring at me. Annalise does that often. But this time I can tell that something is really wrong with her. She goes wandering for hours and if I question her about it, we quickly get into a fight, which she loves. Because she uses the opportunity to blame me for the loss of our baby. I’m not gonna stay put and let her eat away at my conscience like that. I’m suffering emotionally enough as it is.”

  I’ve told you repeatedly that woman is a blithering nut job. She only needed time to reveal her true self, Ms. Hive wanted to say, but she didn’t feel it was necessary to capitalize on her “I told you so” moment. Like Armando said, he was suffering enough.

  “All the more reason for you to get Annalise back home to Trinidad,” Ms. Hive suggested. “Because it sounds as if she needs to be tended to by medical professionals.”

  “By that you mean she should be admitted to the looney bin?”

  Ms. Hive suppressed a smile. “I didn’t say that.”

  “You didn’t have to, because I was thinking the same thing.”

  Ms. Hive reached out and touched Armando’s shoulder in a sympathetic manner. “You’re like a son to me and I am very much concerned about you and your happiness.”

  “I know and I appreciate you being in my corner…I will get Annalise the help she needs. In the meantime, I’ll be keeping my distance from her.”

  Ms. Hive concluded, “Whoever this other woman is, I sensed that she’s a very special person to you. However, the Holy Scriptures puts it more beautifully than I can ever say, ‘Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.’ I need not explain anything else…whatever you decide to do, the crew and I will see you back in Trinidad at some point.”

  With one last pat on Armando’s shoulder, Ms. Hive walked off, leaving Armando to chew on her words. In all the years he’d known her, those words she’d quoted from the Bible resonated with him more than anything she’d ever said to him.

  Chapter Six

  Rena was awaken by a sound, which wasn’t necessarily loud, but annoying enough to make her upset about it disturbing her rest. It took her a few seconds to realize that it was the hotel’s phone and without fully turning around, she reached behind her and felt for the receiver.

  “Hello?”

  “Ms. Henderson?”

  “Who the hell is this?” she croaked.

  “This is the manager...I apologize for waking you.”

  Rena sat up and eased her body against the headboard. “What do you want?”

  “How soon can you get downstairs to the front desk?”

  “Why are you asking?”

  “We think we may have found your handbag.”

  Rena pitched up and swung her feet to the floor. “Where?”

  “I would prefer that you meet me here at the front desk.”

  “Okay...give me ten minutes.”

  Rena ran out into the small foyer of the room, curtailing her speed to the left side of the bathroom. She had forgotten that she’d switched rooms. In her old room, the bathroom had been on the right coming out of the bedroom section. She retraced her steps and did a brief inspection of the space – just to make sure the “hotel intruder” hadn’t sniffed her out in her new room. Being placed on the ninth floor as opposed to being on the fifth didn’t make Rena feel any safer. However, the news of her handbag being found gave Rena hope that she could possibly be back in Paris by tomorrow morning and not have to worry about stepping foot back on this crazy island.

  As promised, in ten minutes flat, Rena stepped out into the hall and made quick strides to the elevator. The doors immediately opened with a ‘bing’ sound. She stepped in and then pushed the button that would take her to the lobby. A few seconds later, the elevator suddenly jerked to a stop, causing Rena to stumble into the wall. She looked up and saw that she’d stopped on the fifth floor. The doors then opened and revealed the last face Rena wanted to see.

  “Fancy still seeing you here at this hotel...” Annalise hobbled in on the opposite side of Rena and gave her a disgusted look. “When do you plan on leaving?”

  Rena was offended by the question, but she tried not to show it. The fact that Annalise was in obvious physical pain, and was walking about after having recently lost her baby showed that this woman was crazier than Rena could ever imagine. And if that wasn’t enough, the wild, menacing look in Annalise’s eyes suggested to Rena that she had better tread lightly. The woman was at least six inches taller than her and looked as if she would jump on Rena at any minute.

  “So you’re a bloody mute now?” Annalise probed.

  Rena waited for the elevator doors to close before she responded. She really wished she’d stepped out and caught a different elevator while she had the chance. “I don’t want any trouble,” she said.

  Annalise chuckled. “The only trouble I have is you being at this hotel with my husband. Now tell me, you dumpy-looking whore: when do you leave?”

  The coldness in Annalise’s tone caused every hair to stand up on the back of Rena’s neck. She stared at the moving numbers at the top and saw that she had another three floors to go before they got to the lobby. Suddenly, Annalise reached out and slapped the “Stop” button. Luckily for Annalise the button wasn’t hooked up to an alarm. The elevator dragged to a standstill, causing Rena to swing her petrified gaze to Annalise.

  “Why the hell did you do that?” she spat.

  “I think it’s time we had a little talk, Ms. Henderson.”

  “I have nothing to say to you, except t
hat I think you need to get your head examined.”

  Annalise sniggered so loudly it sounded as if she was about to barf up her breakfast. “So now you think I’m crazy? You certainly didn’t have me to study when you were getting busy with my husband on your sofa. Was he as good as you imagined?”

  Rena stared at Annalise, dumbstruck. No one else was privy to such information other than Rena and Armando. How the heck did Annalise know about it? Suddenly, Rena got an uncanny feeling that the “hotel intruder” could very well be Annalise, because Rena doubted that Armando would come right out and tell his wife that he’d cheated on her with another woman. Of course, Rena and Armando didn’t go through with the entire sexual act, but maybe in Annalise’s mind, they had. This revelation was too close for comfort for Rena’s taste. She tried to restart the elevator, but Annalise viciously spanked her hand away from the button.

  “Don’t make me beat the crap out of you,” Annalise warned. “You will stay put and listen to me!”

  “You’re crazy!” Rena yelled.

  “I very well may be,” Annalise retorted. “But you and Armando are the cause of it! I’ve lost my daughter because of you two messing around behind my back. Sex is not everything!”

  “I did not sleep with your husband.”

  “Don’t lie to me. I saw you two on the sofa with my own eyes.”

  It sounded as if Annalise had just confessed to being the ‘hotel intruder.’ However, Rena wouldn’t waste time trying to get anything out of her, because it was clear that Annalise would answer according to what she wanted to believe.

  Rena rested her gaze firmly on Annalise. “I know it was you, snooping around my hotel room. My question is: How the hell did you get in?”

  A smirk toyed with the corners of Annalise’s mouth. She slowly ran her eyes up and down Rena’s curvaceous body and then licked her lips for dramatic effect. “You are definitely one short whore,” she said. “But you certainly make up for it in other areas. Nice boobs, nice hips and thighs…I can understand why my husband was drawn away by his lust.”

  If you’re so turned on by her assets, I command you to touch them right now, the voice goaded Annalise. See how voluptuous they look? Touch ‘em! Feast on what it was like to be with a woman….remember Sabrina? How soft and silky her skin felt? Rena could give you the same pleasure.

  The second Annalise agreed in her mind, an unforeseen presence entered Annalise and took full control of her carnal desires. The soreness in Annalise’s abdomen took a back burner as her flaming lust impelled her toward Rena. Before long, Annalise’s tongue was hanging out of her mouth, yearning to make contact with her target. Rena screamed when she felt Annalise grip her brown tresses and attempt to push the slimy organ into her ears.

  “You revolting tramp!” Rena used her arms to keep Annalise at bay for as long as her strength would allow. “What the devil has gotten into you? Get the hell away from me!”

  Annalise cackled. “The devil has indeed gotten into me and I’m loving it! You’re mine!”

  The women tussled about for a few more minutes, rolling from wall to wall. A massive dose of adrenalin surged through Rena’s legs, which gave her the upper hand she was praying for. With her right foot held steady in the air, she plunged it into Annalise’s stomach. The force sent Annalise stumbling backward, temporarily disorienting her. Rena used the opportunity to restart the elevator. It jerked and continued its descent toward the lobby. As soon as the doors opened, Rena bolted out, screaming for help. She curtailed her speed to stop herself from colliding with the manager of the hotel.

  “Ms. Henderson,” he cried. “I was about to come up to see if you needed any assistance. And it appears as if my instincts were correct.”

  Out of breath, Rena spat one word at a time. “I…know...who was in my hotel room...”

  The manager pulled Rena into him to steady her trembling body. “Are you sure? Because we are certain that we have the right suspect in our custody. Your handbag was found in his room – Room 5028, coincidentally three doors down from your old room.”

  Rena’s brows came together in confusion. “His?”

  “Allow me.”

  The manager guided Rena to a secluded area where a wicker set was positioned on an oriental rug. He pointed to a familiar item that was positioned at the center of the table.

  “Is this your handbag?” he asked.

  Before Rena could even answer, her gaze connected with a man, who was staring at her with an equal amount of confusion.

  “Armando,” she spluttered. “What…are you doing here?”

  Armando shrugged. “I have no idea. I was coming in from the pool deck and suddenly I was accosted by this man.”

  The manager spoke up in his defense. “We can clear this up right now, as it seems as if you two know each other.”

  Rena didn’t bother to validate the manager’s assumptions. “This certainly is my handbag,” she said, picking it up to examine its contents. Everything was inside of it except the .357 Magnum. When she returned her gaze to Armando, she swore he got more attractive each time she saw him. “But he’s not the one who’d been snooping around my hotel room.”

  The manager looked at Rena as if she was crazy. “He’s not? How can you be so sure?”

  “Because his wife just attacked me in the elevator…she tried to push her tongue into my ear.”

  Now both men were staring at Rena as if she’d really lost her mind.

  “Where is she now – the woman who attacked you?” the manager asked.

  Rena pointed behind her. “I left that nut job in the elevator. She may still be in there…I kicked her behind into Netherlands.”

  Armando jumped to his feet, despite the manager’s instruction to stay seated. But the desire to get to the bottom of the mysterious case of the missing handbag overrode the manager’s need to show his muscles. He fell in behind Armando’s strides toward the elevators. They searched each one and the surrounding areas for any sign of evidence that would corroborate Rena’s story. But a thorough investigation revealed that either Rena wasn’t telling the truth or she had a very active imagination.

  “There’s no one in there,” the manager said to Rena upon their return.

  Rena stared at Armando and she could tell that he believed her story. What was there not to believe? Annalise was as crazy as they come and everyone who knew Annalise knew that. “Well, you had better check again,” she snapped. “That woman is dangerous and she will not stop until she hurts somebody.”

  Rena pivoted away before Armando had the chance to say anything to her. She exited the main doors to the outside and hopped into the back seat of a waiting taxi.

  ****

  Drake came up behind Sasha and pressed his lips against her neck. “I will be back in a few hours,” he told her.

  Sasha cut off the stove beneath the freshly cooked eggs and placed the hot frying pan on a cool burner. “Where are you rushing off to – again? And you haven’t even eaten breakfast yet.”

  “I’m sorry, babe. I’ll get something on the way.”

  “On the way?” Sasha turned to face her husband. “Where do you have to be that is so important?”

  Drake smiled. “I don’t want to tell you – at least not yet.”

  Sasha narrowed her eyes at Drake. She knew her husband well enough to know when he was up to something. His ruddy complexion was practically glowing with excitement. “Well, at least let me make a plate so that you can carry it with you,” she suggested.

  Drake shrugged. “I will do as you wish, my love. I would hate for you to feel unappreciated for taking such good care of me.”

  “Are you trying to make a joke at my expense?”

  “Naw…” Drake pulled his wife into him. “I meant what I said…you really take good care of me and I love you for it. But I want you to know that I understand what you were trying to tell me yesterday.”

  “You do?”

  “Yes…well, enough to know that you really want this mar
riage to work. I don’t need to know every single detail of every single fault. We all come up short from time to time, and frankly, expressing too much of it can weary the soul. I’m banking on God’s protection to keep our marriage.”

  Sasha removed herself out of Drake’s embrace, giving him a perceptive look. “Basically, you’re telling me that you don’t have any interest in knowing the full story behind why Mrs. O’Grady was blackmailing me?”

  “It’s not that I’m not interested; I just prefer not to know. I believe in you and I believe in our marriage. And for me, that is enough.”

  Oh Drake, you purport to have an excellent heart, but it’s dangerous to take on such an attitude. What if I turn out to be the opposite of what you’ve envisioned? We have to talk about our mistakes and not pretend as if they don’t exist…

  Sasha held back from releasing her mental diatribe for the simple purpose of avoiding an argument. Instead, she fought to hold her husband’s piercing gaze, which seemed to penetrate through the very core of her soul.

  “Well,” she said, breaking the silence between them. “I want you to know.”

  “I don’t.”

  “Why?”

  “I can’t explain it any better than I already have.”

  “What are you afraid of, Drake?”

  “And you’re not afraid?”

  Sasha swallowed her response when she heard a car horn blowing out front.

  “That’s my taxi,” Drake said, kissing Sasha as he quickly walked past her. “I’ll see you later.”

  “Wait…you’re not taking the car?”

  I won’t need it where I’m going. In short order, we’ll have enough rides to pick, choose and refuse. “You told me that you were using the car to meet Hunter at the Shale.”

  Sasha had forgotten she’d said that, but that didn’t mean she wanted her husband to waste money on a taxi. “I can call Hunter and tell her to pick me up instead,” she explained.

  Drake disappeared into the hall, yelling behind him. “Nope…I’ll be fine.”