Painted Passion

by Latisha Brandon

  “I know just the place, perfect for the grown and sexy. I have no desire to fend off college boys all night,” Makayla said.

  “I wouldn’t mind fending off a few. I could make up for lost time,” Dawn joked, to the dismay of her friend and cousin. Both Ashlyn and Makayla were hoping that Dawn and Haile could work out their difficulties. “Wipe the looks of astonishment off your faces. I don’t plan on having an affair with a coed, but maybe one of the officers from the army base.”

  Ashlyn and Makayla gazed at Dawn, thinking she needed rescuing from herself. “You guys go ahead and get ready. I have a phone call to make first,” Ashlyn said.

  * * *

  The lights swirled around her, the rhythm pulsed through her extended limbs. The dance floor was packed, hot with body heat. She stood in the center with her friends, loving the admiring male eyes on her. The attention fed her deflated ego, stroking her self-esteem. She would return to pregnant reality tomorrow, but tonight she would dance like a single person. Her feet were long past numb, but she refused to sit down, dancing to every song, even the ones she didn’t like. Her cell kept up a steady pattern of vibration, Kevin calling. She ignored him, letting him sweat. Let him wonder where she was, who she was with, what she was doing. Ashlyn knew it was juvenile, but as she’d said, she would face reality tomorrow.

  How would he react to news of the baby? They’d spoken numerous times about starting a family sometime in the distant future.

  Tonight she would dance, flirt, and leave Kevin to his own devices. She sensed someone dancing behind her, moving closer.

  His smooth voice rose to talk above the music and she turned her ear toward it. “Where’s the man who put that ring on your finger?”

  She hadn’t had the heart to remove it. “He’s at home and I’m here.”

  She didn’t want to discuss Kevin. She slinked back further, closer to the voice in her ear. Ashlyn dipped low on the downbeat in the bass. She waved to Makayla as she exited the floor, handing her the purse she carried. She scanned the crowd as she danced, looking for Dawn. The fun she was having carried her away. She pushed her hair away from her face. A darkened room, flashing lights, and loud, suggestive music led to lowered inhibitions, but she trusted herself not to go too far.

  Nevertheless, she worried a stranger would take advantage of Dawn. Where was she and with whom? She could see Makayla sitting at their table, somehow managing to hold a conversation on her cell. This was the first time Dawn had been in a club. She hadn’t seemed nervous, dancing with men and sipping glasses of wine.

  * * *

  Makayla wondered who kept ringing Ashlyn’s phone. Eventually curiosity got the best of her. “Hello,” she shouted over the hum of the music.

  “Ashlyn…Ashlyn, I can hardly hear you. Turn down the music,” Kevin said, relieved that she’d finally answered her phone.

  “This isn’t Ashlyn, and I’m afraid it’s not possible for me to turn down the music,” Makayla said in a matter of fact voice.

  “Who is this?”

  “This is Makayla.” She pressed her hand to her other ear, covering it, the better to hear him.

  “The infamous Makayla, B-More girl. How you doin’?” he asked. So Ashlyn was with her best friend. Kevin wondered if they were in Atlanta or Savannah.

  “I’m doing exceedingly well, Kevin. This is Kevin, right?” she teased. “A Philly boy.”

  He refused to bandy words with her. “Could you please give the phone to my wife.”

  “I’m afraid that, too, is impossible.”

  He was quickly losing patience. “Where…is…Ashlyn?” he asked. Kevin was standing in the middle of their home, alone, and getting nowhere with Makayla, who seemed to relish torturing him with little clues and vague answers.

  “My best friend and your wife can’t come to the phone right now because she’s in the middle of the dance floor, grooving to Prince with a man in front and back of her, each moving closer by the second. She’s dancing as if born to do it. I guess Ashlyn has you to thank for that.

  “How she managed to pour herself in those jeans is beyond me. And we both know how Ashlyn fills out a pair of jeans. So no, I’m afraid your wife can’t come to the phone right now,” Makayla sighed into the phone, as if she were tired and bored with the direction of the conversation.

  “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

  “More than you’ll ever know. Next time, why don’t you sever your loose ends before you decide to get married?” Makayla moved the phone to her other ear. “And when I say loose ends, I mean tricks, in case you missed my meaning.”

  “I love Ashlyn more than you will ever know. I never meant to hurt her. You’re right, I should have let Reese know. But you have to know that once I met Ashlyn, no other woman crossed my mind.”

  Kevin could hear the music in the background and he could see her dancing sensually, an abbreviated version of when she’d danced for him. She possessed an inbred magnetism. “I totally screwed up and I don’t know how to get her to forgive me. I wish she had stayed to work this out face to face instead of over the phone.”

  Makayla felt sorry for him. He sounded so pathetic. The same thing could have happened to her. She was no saint, and skeletons in the closet occasionally popped out. “She plans to stay in Savannah for only a few more days, before she and Fancy are heading to Atlanta.”

  “I humbly thank you, Makayla. In the future I’ll find a way to repay you.”

  “Never doubt that I won’t call in the favor. Goodbye, Kevin.”

  “Goodbye, Makayla, and happy hunting.”

  * * *

  Ashlyn navigated through the packed crowd, heading to the bar. The backlighting of the bar was blue, emphasizing the varying sizes of the bottles. Everyone around her seemed to be enjoying the beverages from those bottles. She raised her hand. “Can I get a sparking water, a cranberry juice and vodka, and a glass of white wine?”

  “Are you from Savannah?”

  Ashlyn turned to the man whispering questions seductively in her ear. “Excuse me?”

  “Are you a resident of this beautiful city?” her dance partner from earlier asked.

  “No, I’m not. I’m from the Windy City.” He didn’t need to know she now resided in Atlanta.

  “I’m here on business. I flew in from Denver. Are you here on business?” he asked, trying to find out more about her.

  She couldn’t deny his attractiveness. He looked like an outdoorsman, a surfer. His skin was tan, and his raven hair was graying at the temples. A day’s growth of beard shadowed his chin. “No, I’m visiting a friend, the one across the room giving you the evil eye.” Ashlyn pointed to Makayla.

  “Can I take you out to dinner tomorrow? You can even bring your evil friend who is now shooting eye darts into my back.” His intense blue eyes met her green ones. “We can double. My business partner is here as well. He’s been trying to catch her eye all evening.”

  “I’m married.”

  “I know, but he’s at home and you’re here.” He was trying to pick her up. Mr. Blue Eyes’ intentions fell short of honorable. She smiled. “Yes, you’re correct, he is at home, but I could never betray him.”

  “Do you know what he’s doing tonight, while you’re here with me?” he asked, the devil incarnate.

  She answered without hesitation. “Yes, I do know. He’s being true to me.” Ashlyn turned to get the glasses from the bar and walked away from temptation.

  “If you change your mind, give me a call.” He slipped his card into the back pocket of her jeans. She moved away before his hand could linger. Nevertheless, he’d stroked her ego and brought giddiness in her step.

  However, it was time for her to return to Atlanta, baby, dog, and all.

  Ashlyn set a glass in front of Makayla.

  “Who was the guy trying to get you to go home with him?”

  “My dance partner from earlier. He’s here on business and he asked me to dinner. He also invited you along, I guess to entertain h
is business partner.”

  “His friend is cute, but I’m not interested.”

  “Since when? He’s just your type, right down to his brooding look.” Ashlyn felt Makayla’s forehead to see if she had a temperature.

  “I don’t need any more testosterone in my life right now.”

  “Where’s Dawn? I lost track of her over an hour ago.”

  Makayla pointed out Dawn, who was dancing cheek to cheek, chest to chest, pelvis to pelvis. Not a smidgen of space separated her from her partner.

  Ashlyn smiled contently and watched the couple dance like newlyweds. “You called him, didn’t you?”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about. I thought you called him.”

  “Deny it all you like, but I know deep, deep, deep down inside you’re a big ole softie, and a sucker for romance. Look at them, Kayla. He fell in love with her from the first moment he saw her.”

  * * *

  “How did you find me?” Dawn asked. He’d surprised her, moving behind her, clasping his hands at her torso.

  “A little birdie told me.”

  In the past, Dawn had never let Haile touch her in public. She didn’t like the added attention—tonight she would never dream of pushing him away.

  “Ashlyn or Makayla?”

  “Both, but neither was aware of the other calling.”

  She turned, placing his hands at the small of her back. “Why are you here?”

  “I want you to come home and stay home. No more running to your friends with our problems.”

  “I plan on coming home, but the question is whether I’ll let you remain,” she told him. “I will no longer live with your moodiness and silent withdrawal.”

  “Please forgive my rash behavior. I didn’t know how to handle this new woman standing before me. I loved having your undivided attention, and I know that may seem self-centered, but if we’re going to get past this point I have to be honest.” Haile guided her head to his shoulder, placing his chin on top of her head.

  “I wanted to give you my all, but it became draining, not knowing where you ended and I began,” she said.

  “Do you want me to leave our home?” If she said yes, he didn’t know how he could go on, but she deserved more than the man he’d become. “Why wasn’t I enough?”

  “You were enough, but I have to have a life outside of you and Laney. I’m not trying to discount our life, but as an individual, I need more. You have it, why shouldn’t I? Especially if it makes me feel happy and whole in a positive way.” The loud music almost drowned out their conversation.

  “I don’t want to lose you. You hold the family together. Tell me what I have to do to make it right.” His soft lips kissed her cheek and she rubbed his hands against her bottom. No one noticed.

  “Just love me, accept me, and don’t push me away.”

  “Never again. Will you come back to my suite tonight? Let me make love to you… wipe the sadness from your eyes?”

  “Yes.”

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  The night was still young, but Ashlyn and Makayla reclined on the bed, surrounded by colorful plush pillows. Ashlyn had forgotten how great it was having her best friend around, sharing a laugh, supporting each other through disappointment and heartbreak. They had decided to spend the night in. Makayla had made creamy smoothies of mamey fruit, vanilla, milk, and honey. The meal was light; Ashlyn couldn’t handle heavy at the moment. Her pregnancy was at the forefront of her mind. When would she tell Kevin? She didn’t want him around just for the sake of a child. She was finally coming to terms with the blessed event, touching her abdomen at the oddest of times. She was going to be a mother, forever changed.

  He had a right to know, but she still hesitated, slightly selfish. She didn’t feel like sharing. She was still hurt by what happened. She had to hold on to her pain or she would fly back to him. She was pregnant and married; her family didn’t even know. She felt as if she’d done everything backwards, but regret was nowhere in the vicinity.

  “Are you happy?” Makayla asked. “I always knew you would be the first to have a child.”

  “I’m so happy about being pregnant that it frightens me. No one deserves to be this happy. I want to keep it all to myself.” Ashlyn honestly didn’t know how Kevin would react so she put off telling him and held onto her happiness for as long as possible.

  “Ash, you have to tell him. Stop punishing him for something out of his control.”

  “It was controllable; he should have had more respect for me as well as her. I behaved toward her in a manner I abhorred. Can you imagine, me, your best friend and self-appointed conscience, fighting like a gutter rat in just a white T-shirt? I was raised better than that. This man has brought me low, but it wasn’t just his doing. There’s plenty of blame to go around.”

  Ashlyn pulled the bedding over her face. “From the very beginning he tapped into a side of me that I was unaware of. In life I’m such a control freak, but with Kevin, I was loose. I felt as if I were flying.”

  “It was that good?” Makayla asked in astonishment.

  “So good that my nose is still wide open and my head is still turned. How can I go back, how can I not? I’m afraid I’ll get to the point where I’ll forgive him for anything.”

  “You should give yourself more credit. You’re too strong to reach that point. That’s why you’re here and not still in Philly. You made a commitment to him and you need to see it through to the end, whatever the end is,” Makayla quietly said. “How did you get pregnant? You always take your birth control pill the same time every day. You even call making sure I have taken mine.”

  “When did you get so wise and all knowing?” a muffled voice questioned from under the bedding. “After we were married there was no longer a need for condoms, but I still continued to take my pill.” Ashlyn and Makayla were two women who took responsibility for their own safety. “It was that one percent chance that caught us. I never really gave that one percent much thought, because I always used condoms as a backup plan with Frank.”

  “A one percent chance is very low. His swimmers must have the speed and strength of Michael Phelps.”

  “This is no time for comedy hour.”

  “You need to stop worrying so much. Think about the little one you’re carrying. I can just see it; you’re going to be one of those lucky women who carry the baby in their hips, with a cute little stomach. I’ll resemble a pumpkin, with swollen ankles, a pug nose, and gorge on pickles and peanut butter. Think about that while hiding under the covers.” Makayla stood to clear the dishes. “You have to come out sometime. What’s the big deal? You’re married and about to have a child with your husband, a child created out of love.”

  Makayla was right. Why was she hiding? It wasn’t as if she had to raise the child alone. Moreover, even if she did, she was financially, emotionally, and spiritually stable enough to handle it. Kevin wasn’t the type of father to disappear; he would be very hands-on. Who was she kidding? She’d never be able to get rid of him, not that she wanted to. But she still wanted him to come to her.

  “Fancy, I believe it’s time for us to head back to Atlanta. Hurry up and jump on the bed before the boogie man gets back.” She rubbed and patted Fancy’s back and head until she began to pant. “Wouldn’t it be nice to go back to when it was just you and I?” Nevertheless, she had to admit to having been lonely during that time, and she wouldn’t wish away the child she carried for anything in the world. Her life forever changed, but so much for the better. She was stronger then she previously thought.

  She no longer felt as if she had to pick one culture or ethnic group. She was blessed to come from two vastly distinct and strong ethnic groups. She drew pride from both. Another thing had changed in her life. She no longer needed the approval of her family or friends. Ashlyn had dropped her need-to-please attitude along the way to finding Kevin and starting their life.

  He had his faults, as did she, but she found him wonderfully endearing, honest, and m
uch more disciplined than any man his age had a right to be. He painted from an old soul, steeped in individuality. He made her feel unburdened.

  But she wanted him to come and live in her home for a while. “He needs to come to us.”

  “You talk to Fancy as if she understands every word you say.”

  “She does understand. What do you have in the box?”

  “It’s your Christmas present.” Makayla sat on the bed, next to Fancy, for once not making her get off.

  “Isn’t it a little early for exchanging gifts? Besides, you can give it to me when we go to Chicago this Christmas.” Every Christmas for the past thirteen years Makayla had spent the holidays with Ashlyn’s family, where she fit in better than Ashlyn. Makayla was a sucker for overindulgence.

  “I’m not going this year.” She, too, had decided it was time to do things on her own. “You need to take Kevin home to meet your family.”

  Ashlyn ignored the comment about Kevin. “Why have you decided not to go?”

  “I’m just following your lead and having a little me time, as Heather Hedley would say.”

  “Where are you spending the holiday?”

  “I’m going abroad for ten days, Europe.”

  “By yourself? You’ve never traveled overseas alone.”

  “I know, but that’s about to change. I want to see the English countryside, the Cotswolds, with the stone cottages and cobblestone streets, the castles and peat bogs of Scotland, the black mountains of southeast Wales. Who knows, maybe I’ll even have a holiday fling.” She doubted it, but she still had a reputation to uphold. The old Makayla would have had a winter romance and would have come home to tell Ashlyn all the dirty and salacious details.

  Ashlyn forced cheer into her voice. “Are you bypassing Ireland this time?”

  “Yes, I am, because I still have a hangover from the last time I went with you and Bernard. Bernard met more men than you and I combined. So we drank our woes away, while he got laid…multiple times.”

  She placed the small box on Ashlyn’s lap. “When I saw it the designer herself was wearing it. I was in Dallas attending a boutique opening and I knew I had to purchase one for you. Open it, you’re going to love it.”