Games

by Wanda B. Campbell

Without speaking or making eye contact with him, Shay set a plate with two cinnamon rolls loaded with extra icing, just the way Brian liked them, in front of him.

  “Thank you.”

  Shay continued to ignore him while she poured him a tall glass of milk. After she placed the glass on the table, she stood at the sink with her back to him.

  “Shay, if you choose to act like a juvenile, that’s fine with me. You don’t have to speak to me. At least I know you took what I said last night seriously.”

  Finally, she turned to face him. “What makes you so sure about that?”

  He licked the icing from his fingers. “You got up early and made my favorite rolls, just the way I like them.”

  “That doesn’t mean anything.” Shay refused to give him the satisfaction of knowing her so well. “You’re not the only person in this house. And why are you here anyway? Don’t you have a home to go to? Why don’t you go there? I don’t want you here.”

  “That’s what your mouth says, but the moan you let out last night when I kissed you tells a different story.” Brian grinned sheepishly, like he had the advantage and knew it.

  Just as Shay was about to give Brian a piece of her mind, Jason walked in. “Good morning, gorgeous,” Jason said to Shay.

  As Jason hugged her she took the opportunity to roll her eyes at Brian. “Have a seat, I hope you like fresh baked cinnamon rolls.” Shay gave Jason a warm smile, but it was more to irritate Brian than to make Jason feel welcome.

  “I love them.” Jason took the seat opposite Brian, so that his back faced the counter where Shay stood.

  Shay took note of Brian’s pulsating temporal vein as she served Jason a heaping plate of cinnamon rolls. His chewing slowed when Shay placed her hands on Jason’s shoulders and slowly massaged him.

  “These are delicious, who made them?” Jason asked, relishing in the affection he was finally receiving from his girlfriend.

  Brian jumped in before Shay could answer. “Everyone knows that Shay makes the best cinnamon rolls.” Shay glared at Brian.

  Jason leaned his head up and sideways, so he could see Shay’s face. “Really, I didn’t know you like to bake.”

  “I hadn’t had the desire since I’ve been in Massachusetts,” she answered. When Jason’s head turned down again, she gave Brian the hardest stare she could muster.

  Brian continued. “The two of you have been dating for what—six months? I’m surprised Shay hasn’t found the time to give you a sample of something.”

  Shay folded her hands to keep from reaching across the table and slapping Brian.

  Naïve, Jason continued, “School takes up most of our time; we only see each other socially once a week.”

  “I know what you mean; law school takes up all of my time,” Brian answered with a victorious smile. Brian’s satisfaction of knowing there wasn’t really anything special between the couple irked Shay. “Jason, do you swim?” Brian asked when Shay acted childish and stuck her tongue out at him.

  “I love to swim,” Jason answered.

  “There’s a pool out back. We can take a few laps in a couple of hours,” Brian suggested.

  “That sounds like fun.”

  Shay stopped massaging Jason’s shoulders and dropped her hands at Brian’s next question.

  “Shay, would you like to join us?” Brian asked with a devilish grin.

  Shay wanted to scream. Brian was toying with her and knew he’d come out victorious. After the previous night’s show of possession and aggression, Brian would, without a doubt, drown her with his bare hands, if she pranced around in front of Jason in a swimming suit. Besides that, Brian knew she wouldn’t be able to hide her attraction to him, once he was wearing nothing but trunks. But she wasn’t going to let Brian see her sweat.

  “I think I will.” Shay ran her tongue slowly across her lips. Brian’s smile vanished. She continued looking Brian straight in the eyes, “I still have that cute little red two-piece from last summer.” She stepped from behind Jason and looked down at her body. “I think I can still fit it, don’t you, Brian?” She didn’t give Brian a chance to respond before she left the kitchen and went upstairs to her room.

  Shay didn’t have any intentions of going swimming, but Brian didn’t know that. “Serves you right.” She smirked at the picture of them on her twenty-third birthday that sat on her bureau. Shay wasn’t the least bit surprised two hours later when Brian came up with an excuse not to go swimming.

  Chapter 31

  At four o’clock in the afternoon everyone except Shay was dressed and ready to leave for the church. Upstairs in her room, Shay’s nerves felt like stickpins up her arms and her stomach moved to its own rhythm. Tonight would be the first time she’d be inside of a church since that Sunday she walked out and spent all day at Emery Bay in bed with Brian. In the chambers of her heart, she still felt the shame of what she’d done and was afraid once her foot crossed the sanctuary’s threshold, the sin spotlight would cause her to stand out.

  She applied the last bit of makeup and focused on how good it would be to see her grandparents and the rest of her family. That helped her to relax and brought a smile to her face. She took one final look in her full-length mirror. She smiled with pleasure at the way the gold silk and chiffon dress fit. The capped sleeves and fitted waist made the dress hang perfectly. The asymmetric skirt fell just below her knees. The four-inch gold ankle-strapped heels with rhinestones completed the ensemble.

  “Shay, the limo’s here,” Reggie called up.

  Shay checked her hair one last time. She hadn’t worn her hair up since Brian’s graduation. “Perfect,” she said to her reflection and grabbed the gold purse from her dresser.

  “Shay,” Reggie called again just as she made her way down the stairs. Both Brian and Jason waited at the bottom of the winding staircase.

  “WOW!” Jason exclaimed. “This is the first time I’ve seen you in a dress and heels. You’re stunning.”

  Shay acknowledged Jason with a slight head nod, although her eyes quickly traveled to Brian. The black tuxedo looked as if it were cut out to fit his big muscular body. Brian didn’t say a word to her, but his eyes conveyed his satisfaction with her appearance.

  When she finally made it to the bottom of the staircase, Jason stepped forward and held out his arm for her. Brian turned his attention to Josiah while Jason leveled lavished compliments on Shay.

  “You clean up REAL nice.” Jason had the biggest grin on his face. “I couldn’t have dreamed of a more beautiful woman.”

  “You’re not too bad yourself,” she said referring to his black double-breasted suit.

  Julia must have sensed Brian’s uneasiness. “For the second time in as many days I feel like wringing Shay’s neck,” she mumbled in Reggie’s ear, but Shay heard her. Then voiced a loud, “We had better get going; I have sound check at five o’clock.”

  Shay and Jason followed Reggie and Julia out to the waiting limo. Brian and Josiah slowly trailed behind. Once Brian sat Josiah inside of the limo, he changed his plans. “I’m going to drive my car, I’ll meet you there,” he said to no one in particular.

  Julia understood. “Alright, we’ll see you there.” She then scowled at her daughter.

  As the limo pulled away, Shay looked out the window. She didn’t want to see the disappointment on her mother and Reggie’s faces. Shay knew they were angry with her; at the moment she was angry with herself. The image of Brian standing alone pulled at her heart strings. I’m sorry, she mouthed.

  As the luxury vehicle passed the golf course, Shay closed her eyes and envisioned the limo stopping with her jumping out and running back into Brian’s arms. There, she tells him how much she loves him and can’t live without him and he communicates the same. When Shay finally opened her eyes, the limo was turning out of the gated community.

  Shay looked over at Jason. He was grinning like he had just won the grand prize at the state fair. I’m sorry for what I’m doing to you, too. Jason reached for her hand and she
turned her attention to her little brother and adjusted his bow tie.

  Little Josiah smiled at his big sister. “Shay, you look pretty.”

  Shay reached for Josiah and placed him between her and Jason. “Thank you. And you’re the most handsome three-year-old I’ve ever seen.” She pinched his cheek.

  Outside of Shay and Josiah’s playing, the ride to True Worship was quiet.

  By five-thirty, the fifteen-hundred-seat sanctuary was nearly filled to capacity. Shay went around greeting the members of True Worship before she joined the Simone clan. Jason trailed behind her, smiling.

  “Hey, Auntie and Brother Tyrone.” Shay affectionately hugged Nikki and her husband Tyrone.

  “Girl, you’re looking good. I like that dress and you’re working that hair.”

  Shay blushed modestly. “Thank you.”

  Nikki directed her attention to Jason. “And who’s this?”

  “Guys, this is Jason. He attends Harvard with me.”

  Shay figured as Julia’s best friend, Nikki already knew who Jason was. Probably the entire Simone clan was aware of her status with Jason. Of course, no one admitted that to Shay, wanting to see how she was going to weasel her way out of the mess she’d created.

  After Jason exchanged pleasantries with Nikki and Tyrone, Shay moved on to Mother Elsie, the church mother.

  “Hello, Mother.” She hugged the elderly woman.

  “Hi, baby. Are you almost done with school? We sure do miss you around here.”

  “I miss you too, Mother. I still have four months to go before I complete the program, then I’ll be back.”

  Shay introduced Mother Elsie to Jason then said hello to a few other members. “Papa! Grandma!” Shay hugged her grandparents, who were seated on the front

  row. “I’ve missed you so much.”

  “Welcome back, ma cheri.” Carey Simone kissed his granddaughter’s cheek.

  “I like the hair change,” Ana Simone said when she released her. “You look almost as good as me.”

  “Thank you, Grandma.” This time Shay remembered Jason. “Papa, Grandma, this is Jason Alexander, we’re in the same program. Jason, these are my grandparents, the foundation of our family, Carey and Ana Simone.”

  “It’s an honor to meet you both,” Jason said, after studying the olive man and the bronze beauty.

  Shay noticed Jason’s confused expression. “Is something wrong?” she asked.

  “Your family name is familiar. Are you related to the Simones of The Simone Company?” Jason asked.

  “I started the company forty years ago, now my children run it,” Carey answered proudly.

  Jason looked at Shay and then back at the elder Simone. “LaShay, you never told me you were part of the renowned Simone Company. Your grandfather’s business built nearly half of the northern Chicago suburbs.”

  Shay was about to respond, but her cousins Taylor, Staci and Leah came and whisked her off to the ladies’ room. She did notice Brian watching her from the back of the sanctuary.

  Chapter 32

  Brian stood in the back of the church watching Shay introduce Jason to her grandparents. He was so engulfed, he didn’t hear Shannon approach him from behind.

  “Good evening, Brian.” Shannon didn’t waste any time mending fences with last night’s angry one-sided conversation still fresh. He’d told her to never answer his phone again then slammed the phone in her ear. “I’m so sorry I forgot to tell you Shay called last week while you were inside Starbucks.”

  He noted a hint of sincerity in her tone. “How is it that you made it a point of telling her that you’re my special friend?”

  Shannon pouted. “Brian, we are friends. At least that’s what I thought.” Her fingertips slowly glided down the black fabric covering his muscular arm. “I have respected your wishes concerning us and have tried to be nothing but a good friend to you.”

  “Have you, Shannon?”

  “Yes, I have. You’ve made it crystal clear that you don’t want me.”

  Brian didn’t feel like debating with Shannon; his heart was still bleeding from Shay’s latest stab. He didn’t find it fair for Shannon to take the heat intended for Shay. “We’ll discuss this later,” he finally said.

  “How do I look?” Shannon stepped back and modeled for him.

  Shannon actually didn’t look bad. He didn’t tell her, but he had noticed how her attire had changed for the better over the past couple of months. Her black dress was styled similar to Shay’s, but Shannon’s skirt wasn’t flowing like Shay’s. The matching pumps and small purse were accented with rhinestones. In his opinion, the only thing that ruined Shannon’s look was the extra coating of makeup. It was almost like she was trying to lighten the color of her skin. He still didn’t like the blonde hair on her either.

  “Shannon, you look fine,” he said, hoping she wouldn’t continue with this line of questioning.

  “I’m glad you like it,” she said then interlocked her arm with his. “So, where are we sitting?”

  “I don’t know where you’re going to sit, but Marcus has reserved the first two rows for family.”

  “His family can’t take up that many seats!” Shannon exclaimed.

  Brian laughed. “Oh, yes they can. You can follow me if you want, but I can’t guarantee that you’ll get a seat.”

  Shannon smiled and followed Brian to the end of the second row on the far left side.

  Chapter 33

  Inside the restroom Leah checked the stalls to make sure the cousins were alone. After Leah gave the thumbs-up, Taylor let loose.

  “Girl, what do you think you’re doing, bringing that scrawny little man here?”

  “You are not right for doing Brian like that,” Staci added.

  “If you wanted to make him jealous, why didn’t you pick someone you liked?” Leah questioned.

  “You and Brian need to stop playing this friendship game and get serious. You know you’re in love with him. Why are you playing around with Jason?” Taylor pushed.

  Shay finally opened her mouth. “How did you know his name?”

  Staci smacked her lips. “Girl, please, you already know how fast news travels through the Simone family, especially, this kind of foolishness.”

  “So everyone knows that I brought Jason here to get back at Brian?” Shay couldn’t believe everyone saw through her little game of get-back.

  “We didn’t know why you brought him, but we knew it had something to do with Shannon,” Leah clarified.

  The statement piqued Shay’s curiosity. “What do you guys know about Shannon?”

  “Nothing, outside of her chasing after Brian for the past several months. But he’s not interested in her,” Staci answered.

  “Justin told me how she pounced on Brian at Dave and Buster’s and how your mother had to set her straight when Brian brought her out to Blackhawk,” Leah added.

  Shay jumped in. “Oh no, Brian didn’t bring her into my house!” Shay threw her small purse onto the counter and slapped her fists against her hips.

  “First of all,” Taylor waved her index finger in Shay’s face, “it’s not your house. It’s your mother and Reggie’s house. If you would take care of your business, you wouldn’t have to worry about Shannon. You need to stop playing and tell Brian how you feel.”

  “Taylor, you sound just like my mother.” Shay pouted.

  “You need to listen to your mother; she’s got a man,” Staci said handing Shay her purse. “A fine man at that.”

  Shay rolled her eyes at her cousins. “I am not about to tell Brian nothing. He already thinks he owns me.”

  “And why does he think that?” Leah asked. “I mean, besides the obvious.”

  Shay hadn’t meant to say that. “He just does.” Shay looked in the mirror and started twisting one of her hanging curls.

  Staci gasped. “I knew it! You and Brian had sex!”

  This time Shay placed both of her hands on her hips and rolled her neck. “My sex life is none of y’a
ll business!”

  “So, you admit that the two of you burned a hole in the sheets?” Leah charged.

  “This makes perfect sense now. You had sex with Brian and he blew your mind. That’s why you’re half-crazy.” Taylor threw her hands in the air.

  “When did it happen?” Leah pressed.

  Shay didn’t think it was appropriate to lie in church, even if she was in the bathroom. “Right before he graduated,” she answered honestly.

  “Then why did you leave?”

  “I know why,” Staci answered for Shay with a blank look on her face.

  Leah turned to Staci. “Will you please explain it to me?”

  “We can continue this later, but it’s almost show time and you know my big brother, Marcus, will start on time,” Staci said and started for the door.

  “She’s right. Let’s get to our seats before Marcus embarrasses us over the microphone. But we will continue this later, missy.” Taylor glared at Shay, following Staci’s lead.

  “Taylor, you had better be glad I love you, otherwise, I’d beat you down.” Shay was serious.

  “Whatever.” Taylor waved the threat off.

  Chapter 34

  “Who is that?” Shannon inquired.

  “Who are you talking about?” Brian asked.

  Shannon motioned toward Shay. “The lady wearing that bad gold dress with the golden hair. She looks like a model.”

  A smile creased Brian’s face. “She is beautiful, isn’t she?”

  “Do you know her?”

  “Yes, I do,” Brian said softly, still smiling. “She’s Marcus’s cousin.”

  Brian watched her for a second longer before gaining Shay’s attention and motioning for her to join him. He then turned to Shannon. “I’m sorry, Shannon, but the young lady needs a seat and she is part of the Simone family.”

  If the news disturbed Shannon, she concealed it. “I understand.” She gathered her purse then stood to find the young woman standing next to Brian.

  “She’s moving, so you can have her seat, that is, if you don’t mind sitting next to me?” Brian informed Shay.