I Heard A Rumor

by Hodges, Cheris

  Zach drew Chante into his arms and gave her a gentle kiss on the chin. “Neither will I.”

  She wanted to say more, wanted to tell him that he was unforgettable. But she just couldn’t let those words leave her throat. “Let’s get out of here.”

  “I might need to get dressed first,” he said with a smirk.

  “All right,” she said as she returned to the settee and searched for her cell phone.

  Chapter 15

  Robert didn’t tell Persone Wallace that he had no idea where he was going when they entered the Charleston city limits. But he’d been following a News Fourteen van and figured they’d seen the same reports about Chante and Harrington. He almost snorted as he thought about Chante judging him so harshly about sleeping with that girl, and here she was, dealing with a man who had documented links to a call-girl ring.

  Her moral high ground was gone. Pulling into the hotel parking lot, Robert turned to Persone. “Didn’t I tell you?”

  “Just because the press is here doesn’t mean . . .”

  “That’s Chante’s car!”

  Persone watched Chante and Zachary Harrington pull up underneath the canopy of the hotel and get whisked away by two security guards. “Well, I’ll be damned,” Persone said. “Looks like you were right.” He hopped out of the car with Robert in tow. Persone pulled out his iPad Mini and took a few shots of Chante and Zachary walking into the hotel. It wasn’t lost on him that Zachary’s hand was on Chante’s bottom.

  “I thought you said you two were getting back together?” Persone asked.

  Robert glared at the couple. He wasn’t jealous, but he was angry. How dare she judge him when she was hooking up with a pimp?

  “Bitch,” he mumbled. “I bet . . . You know what, she is just trying to get attention. Once we see each other, we’ll be back on track.”

  Persone dashed toward the front door of the hotel but was stopped by security.

  “Do you have a reservation?” one of the guards asked.

  “I don’t. I need a room, though,” Persone said. “My brother and I are here to see our sick mother at the Medical University of South Carolina.”

  The guard folded his arms across his chest. “Aren’t you pretty far from the hospital?”

  “There were no vacancies closer.”

  “And there are none here. Sorry.” The guard gave Persone a gentle push. “Good luck finding a room near your mom.”

  “So that’s how you’re going to do me?”

  “I know why you’re here, and sitting up here pretending that your mother is sick is low, even for a reporter.” The guard walked away, and Robert headed inside. He was a little less conspicuous in his three-piece suit and carrying a briefcase.

  Walking up to the front desk, he smiled at the clerk, then said, “I’m Robert Montgomery, and my fiancée is expecting me.”

  “And what’s her name?” the comely woman asked with a smile.

  “Chante Britt.”

  “Do you want me to call her and let her know you’re waiting for her?” she asked.

  “Well, I want to surprise her, and I was hoping you could direct me to her room.”

  The woman shook her head. “I’m sorry, but I can’t give out a guest’s room number.”

  “But I want to surprise her. Please, help me out.”

  She shook her head again. “Sorry, sir. But hotel policy doesn’t allow me to do that.”

  “Fine,” Robert said, tempering his anger. “I’ll wait for her in the lobby.”

  “That’s a good option,” the woman replied before heading into an office behind the front desk. Robert took a seat on one of the sofas facing the elevators and hoped that Chante would come downstairs sooner rather than later.

  Chante sighed as she walked into Zach’s suite. Inhaling, she tried to commit his masculine scent to memory, since she figured this would be the last time she’d see him. He nodded, then plopped down on the bed.

  “I can’t believe Natalie did this.”

  “Maybe she was trying to get your attention.”

  “She’s going to regret getting it this way.”

  Chante stroked his shoulder. “Keep in mind, I don’t practice criminal law.” Her smile softened his mood for a minute, and he wanted nothing more than to take her into his arms and pretend nothing was going on.

  “I promise I won’t need a criminal attorney,” he said with a laugh. “Hopefully Zoe won’t either.”

  “I don’t understand how or why she was arrested based on the word of a suspect in a major crime.”

  “Neither do I. But then again, if she had judges in her pocket, who knows who else she has in that black book.”

  Chante didn’t want to ask, but the lawyer in her wondered if his sister had indeed been involved in his ex’s criminal enterprise and whether the evidence that led to her arrest was accurate.

  “I’m sorry I dragged you into this when you were just looking to get away from your own issues,” Zach said as he walked over to the closet and pulled out his suitcase.

  “It’s all right. We had fun, and that’s what we said we were going to do.” When Chante’s phone rang, she regretted turning it on in the car. Looking down at the screen, she saw it was her mother—again.

  Noting the look on her face, Zach asked, “Do you need to get that?”

  Chante hit IGNORE. “Nope. Have you booked your flight yet?”

  “Yeah, I did it from the Delta app on the drive over. The flight leaves at six, and I can drop the Mustang off there.”

  “Aww, the Mustang.”

  “I think you liked that car more than you liked me,” he quipped as he stuffed his clothes in the suitcase.

  “No way. That car is sweet, but it can’t compare to you at all.”

  He stopped packing and pulled Chante into his arms. With his lips inches from hers, he stroked her cheek and wished he could pack her up and take her to New York with him. “Chante,” he whispered.

  She covered his lips with hers, holding back declarations of any emotions they may have been feeling. Right now, she couldn’t handle it. Watching him pack almost had her in tears. As she kissed him, she reminded herself that this was the last time she’d ever see him.

  Until Zach pulled back from her and wiped away a tear with his thumb, Chante hadn’t realized she’d been crying. “Are you all right?”

  “Yeah, yeah,” she said. “I’m just . . .”

  “It’s okay. Everything is going to work out for both of us,” he said, then planted a gentle kiss on her lips.

  “I know, but I feel as if we’re suffering because of what other people did to us, and that isn’t fair. As soon as we leave this room, the media is going to be on us like a pack of wolves on a wounded lamb. What did we do to deserve this?” Chante paced back and forth, her anger building with each step.

  Zach placed his hands on her shoulders, stopping her from wearing a hole in the carpet. “Chante, we didn’t do anything other than put our trust in the wrong people. You thought that jackass was really in love with you, and I married a woman who was a pimp. Unfortunately, when you see someone’s true colors, it can be too late. Bell Biv DeVoe was right.”

  “Huh?”

  “Never trust a big butt and a smile.”

  As much as she didn’t want to, Chante burst out into laughter. “You’re nuts, you know that? I’m going to miss you.”

  He stroked the side of her neck. “Not for long. I’ll be back.”

  She didn’t say anything, because she wasn’t sure what he’d find if he came back for her. “We never got a chance to eat, and since we’re here, we should order room service before you get ready to fly out.”

  Zach nodded; then his cell phone rang. He pulled it from his pocket and shook his head. “Here comes the boom. It’s Zoe.”

  “I’m going to order dinner and give you some space.”

  Zach answered the phone and could barely get hello out of his mouth before his sister started ranting.

  “That idiot y
ou brought into the family thinking that she’d be a good mother to my nieces and nephews is going to come up missing! Not only did she cost me money, she blew a case I was working on. Oh, and here’s the damned kicker: while I’m under investigation by the F-B-fucking-I, my PI license is suspended.”

  “Zoe, calm down.”

  “Calm down, my ass! I told you I didn’t trust her and not to marry her. Did you listen? No. Now you know what it was all about. She wanted access to top-level men for her call-girl ring.”

  “How do you know this?”

  She snorted. “You really think I’m going to get called in for questioning and not look at files and get questions answered myself?”

  Zach smiled. “I guess I forgot who I was talking to.”

  “Yeah, you did, Zach. From what I’ve uncovered, Natalie has been at this for a while. And you’re not her first husband. She did this in Orlando about three years ago, but she had the case tossed because there was video of one of the judges with an under-aged call girl. However, the FBI has been on her tail, and she won’t be getting out of this case.”

  “All right, but why is she coming after us?”

  “Because she is a psychotic bi—. . . Think about it, Zach, this is a woman who thought she was Teflon. She’s scorned and angry. So she wants to get anyone she can. That means you and, by extension, me. We’re going to get out in front of this, so that means you . . .”

  “I’ll be back in New York in the morning.”

  “Why did you leave today?”

  Zach glanced at Chante as she hung up the phone on the nightstand near the bed. “We’ll talk about that when I see you tomorrow.”

  “I hope this woman is better than the last one!”

  “Good night, Zoe.” Zach hung up and then turned his phone off. He crossed over to Chante and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. “So what did you order for us?”

  “That seafood quiche you brought to my room. It was rather delicious. I’m thinking there must be oysters in it.”

  Zach raised his right eyebrow. “And why’s that?”

  “Because after eating it, I really wanted you.” She took his hand and placed it between her thighs. “To touch me right here.”

  Smiling, he stroked her. “And what did you want me do with my hand? This?” He pressed his finger against her throbbing bud, making her moan in delight. “Or this?” Pushing the crotch of her panties aside, he thrust his finger in and out, sending shivers of delight up and down her spine.

  “That right there,” she said as she gripped his wrist and pressed his finger deeper inside her.

  “Umm,” he said. “You’re so wet.”

  “That’s what you do to me.” Chante moaned as his finger went deeper and deeper.

  “There’s something else I want to do to you.” He removed his hand, then lifted her in his arms in a quick motion and laid her on the bed, then pulled her shorts and panties off. “This is not the last time,” he said as he kicked out of his pants. As he dove into her wetness, they melted into one another, grinding and thrusting against each other with zeal. Chante clamped her thighs around Zach’s waist as they bounced up and down.

  “Zach, Zach!” she repeated like a religious mantra as she came.

  As he felt her wetness dripping on him, Zach couldn’t hold back his explosive release. “Damn, baby,” he groaned, “you got me weak.”

  “I don’t think I can move!” She closed her eyes, and all she could think about was how she felt in his arms and how this memory needed to be imbedded in her mind.

  “Chante,” he said.

  “Hmm?”

  “Come to New York with me.”

  Her breath caught in her chest. “I-I can’t.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because it’s time for me to stop running. I have to go back to Charlotte and straighten my mess out.”

  “I feel like we’re the inspiration for Erykah Badu’s ‘Bag Lady.’”

  She laughed and reached for her shorts when they heard a knock at the door. Room service couldn’t have come at a better time. Not only was Chante ravenous, but she didn’t want to continue the conversation.

  Zach pulled his pants on and padded over to the door to get their dinner. While Zach tipped the room-service attendant, Chante dressed and tried to wrap her mind around what she had to do when she returned to Charlotte. First, she was going to quit her job; then she would confront Robert and tell him to leave her the hell alone, or she’d team up with Liza and run him out of Charlotte like she did Alvin, Liza’s cheating ex, who learned the hard way not to mess with Liza Palmer. Then she’d have to remove Zachary Harrington from her brain.

  “Seafood quiche,” he said as he returned to the bed with the covered trays.

  “This is the best thing I’ve had in a long time,” she said as she took one of trays from his hand. He joined her on the bed and removed the cover from his plate. Zach cut into the cheesy dish and took a huge bite.

  “Oh, this is good,” he said when he swallowed. “I definitely taste the oysters.”

  Winking at him, she took a bite of her quiche. “Good choice to impress me.”

  “A glass of Pinot noir would have really set this off, but I need to have a clear head in the morning.”

  Chante set her fork on the side of her plate. “So how are you and your family going to handle this?”

  Sighing, he pushed his food aside. “Well, Zoe is mad as hell, and she’s uncovered that Natalie has done this before and has also been under FBI surveillance for a while.”

  “How did she trick you?”

  Zach rolled his eyes. “How do you think?”

  She shook her head and sighed. “I guess you’d better get to sleep, and I should probably go pack my things.”

  “Don’t leave yet,” he said, then wrapped his arms around her. “I just want a few more hours with you before we have to return to the real world.”

  She leaned against his chest and sighed. The real world was waiting outside the door, and as much as they wanted to pretend they could avoid it, Chante knew that was not an option.

  “What is your plan when you get back to Charlotte?” Zach asked as he brushed his lips across her neck.

  “Operation Take My Life Back,” she said, suppressing a moan. Zach began to massage her shoulders while kissing her neck. “I’m going to quit the firm and start my own.”

  “Good for you,” he said when he tore his lips away from her neck. “That’s really a smart thing for you to do, Chante.”

  “I know, and I’m sure it will make things a lot easier for my current firm. Not that I care, but the sooner we cut ties, the better it will be.”

  “I’m sure that Taiwan guy will be happy.”

  “If there is a happy contest, I’m going to win it. You don’t understand how long and hard I worked to get these men to see that I deserved to have my name on that door. Had I been smarter, I would’ve just walked away years ago.”

  “That’s right. You don’t need anyone’s permission to be happy or successful.”

  Looking into his eyes, she smiled. “Zach,” she whispered, “I wish we’d met each other first. Life would have been a lot simpler. We’d be here probably having an argument with my mother, but not hiding from the media.” She rolled over on her stomach and looked up at Zach.

  He leaned in and kissed her on her forehead. “I’m not going to give up on us,” Zach said. “I believe we’re going to see each other again.”

  Chante sighed. She couldn’t sit here and pretend that she and Zach had a future. But when she was about to say as much to him, she had the instant impulse to kiss him. As she covered his mouth with hers and felt his tongue dancing with hers, Chante almost decided she wanted more from him—wanted to wait for him and see if they had a legitimate chance at a future.

  But she couldn’t. Fear kept her from charging forward with her heart on her sleeve.

  Downstairs Robert Montgomery looked at his watch, then the elevator doors. When they opene
d and a well-heeled couple stepped off, he groaned. “Where in the hell is she?” Rising to his feet, Robert headed for the door, then stopped. He could get Chante to come out of hiding. All he had to do was get in front of a camera and let Liza find out about it. Then she’d call Chante and tell her how her life was being ruined. That’s one thing Liza was good for, sticking her nose where it didn’t belong. He wouldn’t even be in this situation if Liza had stayed in her lane.

  Pulling up his Twitter account on his smartphone, Robert grinned as he thought about how people would react to his tweet, especially after seeing Chante with another man on CNN.

  Now he was the victim, and he was going to play it to the hilt. Turnabout is fair play, he thought as he typed, I’ve 4given Chante and she’s 4given me. We’re good. #FirstcoupleofCharlotte.

  His phone began to light up after the tweet was posted. Even Persone fought his way into the hotel to find Robert. “Really?” he asked when he grabbed Robert’s elbow.

  “Perception is reality, and I know that this is going to send her flying downstairs. You just make sure you’re ready to take the picture of our reunion.”

  “You’re nuts,” Persone said. “If she comes down here and slaps the shit out of you, I’m snapping that picture too. Is she worth all this trouble?”

  Robert wasn’t trying to win Chante back, and the trouble wasn’t his to deal with. It would be hers. He wanted her to face the same humiliation that he had after she and Liza had exposed him. The fact that Chante was dealing with a man like Zachary Harrington would knock that shine off the so-called halo she thought she wore. All those people who thought Chante was the victim would now see her as the scandalous tramp he’d make her seem on social media.

  “This isn’t about winning her back. I could care less about Chante and winning her back. That bitch embarrassed me, and I’m going to return the favor.”

  “That’s cold, man,” Persone said with a laugh. “I wish I could quote you on that.”

  “When I’m mayor of Charlotte, you can.” Robert looked down at his phone and saw that his tweet had been retweeted more than a hundred times.