by Pat Tucker
I sighed and pulled myself to the front door.
“Hey, honey,” Darby greeted me. Before I could respond, she grabbed my hand. “C’mon.”
I frowned. “Where are we going?”
“The spa. They were able to squeeze us in. We don’t have a lot of time. We need to go.” Darby pulled her purse up on her shoulder.
“The spa? I haven’t been to a spa in so long, I wouldn’t know what to—”
“Enough of the talking. I’ve already paid, so we have to go. I don’t have money to waste.”
“Oh, Darby. You shouldn’t have spent that kind of money. What’s gonna happen when Kevin finds out?”
Darby’s face clouded over. She pursed her lips and twisted her mouth then spoke.
“He don’t know nothing about this money, and this ain’t none of his business,” she said with a sassy tone.
“Well, I guess when you put it like that.” The truth was, I didn’t feel like going anywhere. I wanted to stay home, monitor my TV for Pamela’s flashy, new commercials, and have my own little pity party.
Darby wasn’t having it. She all but dragged me out of the house, put me in the passenger seat of her car, and even tried to buckle my seatbelt.
“Ummm, I can handle that,” I said.
“I can’t believe Pamela did that to you.” Darby frowned as she drove.
“You can add her to the list of people who act like I’m nothing more than a doormat. You still carry that flask?”
“You know I do.” Darby smiled. “My bag is on the floor behind your seat.”
I reached back and grabbed Darby’s Michael Kors bag. I dug in and pulled out the flashy flask. After several swigs from the little bottle, I started to feel better.
“Oh, I’m sorry. We were supposed to be talking about you and Chandler, and you had to come over and rescue me.”
“That Chandler situation is a big ol’ funky hot mess!” Darby exited the freeway and prepared to turn right. “I don’t know how we’ve developed such strong feelings for each other over such a short period of time.”
“How often do you guys see each other?”
“At least three times a week,” she admitted. “Sometimes more.”
“Wow!”
“I know. I know, but I go through the motions at home with Kevin and the kids, and the minute I get some free time, I’m rushing off to meet him somewhere,” Darby said. “And it seems like we’re meeting even more even after he tried to dump me!”
“Do you think he really cares about you?”
“It doesn’t matter whether he does or not. When I’m with him, I feel like I’m the most important woman in the world. He’s everything Kevin is not, and I don’t know how to pull away from him.”
“Damn, Darby, what are you gonna do?”
“I don’t know. I really don’t.”
We arrived at the spa with only a few minutes to spare. We changed into our thick, white terry robes, and slipped right into relaxation. I had nearly drained Darby’s flask by the time we arrived, but we were greeted with wine, so I felt better than I had in a very long time.
Darby paid for massages, facials, and footbaths. For a long while, we enjoyed the quiet and serenity of the place. I was so glad she had forced me to go. During my quiet time, I thought about everything that had happened to me. I thought about the trucks, Kyle and the letter, and Pamela, who had infiltrated my business to duplicate it and start her own.
We didn’t get to stay at the spa for the entire day, since Darby had to get home to cook for her family, but the few hours we spent there were priceless.
“You are the very best,” I told her.
“Sometimes, with all the craziness going on in our lives, we need to take some time out for ourselves.”
“What are you gonna do, Darby? Your emotional attachment to Chandler is so bizarre to me.”
“Girl, imagine how it is to me! Years ago, when I started communicating with him, it really was so I could get close to him and get revenge.”
“What was the plan?” I asked.
Darby paused, as if she was trying to think of how to answer the question. She shook her head and a smirk made its way to her face.
“You’re not gonna believe me if I tell you.”
I pulled back a little. Now, I desperately wanted to know.
“Try me,” I said.
“I was gonna plant some drugs at his place.”
“Girl! Stop!” That’s not what I expected her to say.
She laughed a little to herself. I watched as her expression changed like she had gone to a faraway place.
“Yes. That’s what I was gonna do, and you couldn’t tell me it wasn’t a good plan. I was gonna get close, and then move in for the kill,” she said.
“Drugs and all, huh? But, okay, what happened to that plan?”
“First of all, I watched him for a very long time, before I made my move. Then, it took a lot longer to get close to him than I expected. Finally, once I got close to him, I realized he wasn’t this horrible person I’d made him out to be. By then, we had to established trust, and once that happened, things took a turn.”
“I don’t know what to say,” I admitted.
The idea that Darby was falling in love with the man who had killed her sister was completely outside the realm of possibility to me. I didn’t know what to say.
“And what’s worse, the man is too damn good in bed. It’s all I can think about. I compare him to Kevin in everything he does. It’s wrong. It’s dysfunctional, but it feels so good, and I don’t even know how to begin to try and get out.”
As I listened to Darby pour her heart out, I felt like such a fraud. I had nothing to offer. I listened to her story, but my mind was fixed on what I needed to do to get back at Kyle and Pamela.
“And Kevin is clueless?” I asked.
“You know he’s so damn self-absorbed, as long as I fix his food and wait on him and the boys, I could move Chandler in and he wouldn’t be the wiser.”
We laughed.
“You gotta go back home, or can you come over?” she asked me.
I had a free night since Kyle was picking Kendal up from school, but I needed a different kind of company, and I had to find a delicate way to tell her.
“The spa was good, but now I need a different kind of release, and I’ve gotta put in some work to get Gordon over,” I said skittishly.
Darby laughed.
“Girl, go get yours in, ’cause I definitely get mine in. We’ll spend some time together tomorrow once I get everyone out the door, okay?”
“That’ll work,” I said as Darby pulled up at my house. Before I got out of the car, she reached into the console in her car and pulled out an envelope.
“Don’t make anything out of this. I’ve had this side hustle that’s done better than I expected.”
I looked at the thick envelope as she extended it in my direction.
“What is this?”
“It’s a gift to you and Kendal,” Darby said.
I peeked inside the envelope and saw bills that I hadn’t seen in a very long time. I paused for a moment and tried to tame my trembling hands.
“Oh, Darby, I can’t,” I said.
“Like hell you can’t! This is not a loan. This is a gift. Don’t take it for you. Take it for Kendal,” she said.
When she looked at her watch, I realized that I needed to go. Darby had to get home.
“I don’t know what to say,” I said as I accepted the envelope.
I hugged her and got out of the car.
42
DARBY
Wednesdays were kind of tricky in the Jaxon household. Sometimes, we met with some of Kevin’s coworkers and their families for dinner, and other times, we had takeout. It was my easy day of the week. But this week, they were going to a restaurant I didn’t care for, and I let it be known that I would not be going. Kevin was okay with that. He had some business he needed to discuss with his coworkers, so I would’ve been setti
ng myself up for a major snooze fest if I had gone.
“You want us to bring you something back?” Kevin asked.
He and the boys were about to walk out of the door.
“No, I’m good. If I get hungry, I’ll pull something from the freezer,” I said.
In truth, I wanted him out the door. I had already received two text messages that I hadn’t been able to respond to, and the agony was nearly killing me. Chandler didn’t usually text during family hours. We communicated during the day, when he knew I was alone, or very late at night.
“Okay, later then,” Kevin said as he eased out the door behind the boys. “Oh, and we need to discuss that new bike you bought for Jr.”
I rolled my eyes. That was a conversation we’d never have if I could help it. That new bike had been paid off, and worth every penny.
Once alone, I fixed a drink. Then, I waited a good ten minutes before I picked up my cell phone. Out of courtesy, I sent Chandler a text first to see if he was available.
When I asked the question, I expected him to reply with a text message. Instead, my phone rang.
“What are you doing?” His voice always did something to me. I couldn’t explain it, but it made me weak and wanting.
“I’m having a drink now, and am about to warm up some food. Why do you ask?”
“I’m close to you,” he said.
The certainty, with which he said it, triggered something in me that made me giddy. The butterflies sprang to life in the pit of my belly. This was completely unexpected, but it was a pleasant surprise. Chandler didn’t know exactly where I lived, but he knew I was in Katy.
“How close is close?” I finished off the drink.
“I’m at the Omni, off of I-10,” he said.
Lately, we’d been meeting up more frequently. Carla mentioned to me that she knew something was up because she’d come by the house to talk to me several times, and I was gone. I hadn’t come clean to her about Chandler. The closest I’d come was to the girls and when I was at Peta’s house, but her misery was far more serious than mine.
I had gone off the deep end, but it felt so incredible, I couldn’t pull back.
“The Omni.” I didn’t ask. I simply repeated what he’d said.
“Yes, Room 9872,” he said. “The view from here is magnificent. I’d like to fuck you up against the window. I know how much you enjoy me from behind,” he said.
He stated that as if it was a fact. I didn’t understand the hold he had over me, and I never spent too much time trying to figure it out. I considered another drink, but decided not to since I’d be driving.
Chandler’s voice was the kind wet dreams were made of. His body was beyond exceptional, and although there was no future for us, I couldn’t get enough of him or what he gave me.
“That is really close to me,” I said.
“You should go into the office in your house, lock the door, and sneak out. I can send a car for you,” he offered.
“No need. I’m free tonight, but I can’t stay all night,” I warned.
“I understand. So, when should I expect you?”
“I’ll be there in twenty. Let me freshen up,” I said.
“No, come like you are. You can freshen up here,” he said.
“Okay,” I lied.
Once I hung up, I stripped, rushed into the bathroom and wet a face towel with warm water. I lathered soap and cleaned myself up the best I could. I slipped into an off-the-shoulder, hip-hugging dress, and stepped into high-heeled sandals.
Before I left, I walked into the pantry and removed the vodka from my hiding place. I took two quick shots and replaced the bottle.
The Omni Hotel wasn’t far from my house, and as I drove, I thought of how long I’d be able to stay. When I got to I-10, it made sense that I’d stay until eleven o’clock. Kevin and the boys would be back, but they’d be in bed. That would give me four solid hours.
When I pulled up in front of the hotel, I told myself that midnight wouldn’t be bad, especially since I decided I could say I went out with one of the girls who had a fight with her man or something. Midnight it would be.
As I rode the elevator up, the fight idea began to sound better and better.
The moment I stepped into the nice room, Chandler’s tongue was down my throat. I nearly melted, right there in his arms, up against the door. The hint of liquor on his tongue was like an aphrodisiac to me. I wanted more.
He slid his hands up my thighs and pulled back.
“Wow, no panties. I like the way your mind works, Darby.” A wicked grin spread across his handsome face.
We peeled each other’s clothes off at the door. I waited for him to put the condom on, then I straddled him as he sat with his back against the door. I rode him methodically and felt every single inch of him.
“You feel so damn good,” Chandler huffed. “I enjoy the naked shots you text, but there’s nothing better than having you here in the flesh.”
I bit at his ear, clawed at his neck, and lowered my head to take his nipple into my mouth.
“Oh, Chandler,” I cried.
Moments later, I exploded and felt suspended in an indiscernible bliss.
Afterward, we shared a drink. It was aged scotch, and it smelled expensive before it settled onto my taste buds. It was silky smooth. Chandler poured us a refill the moment he fed me the last drops from the glass.
I felt myself as I began to slip away. It felt good, and just when my head was swimming in mellow waves, Chandler manhandled me. He pinned my naked body against the large, smoked glass, floor-to-ceiling window like he had promised.
Twinkling lights glistened out as far as my eyes could see, and it looked like we floated high above a blanket of stars. He had been correct. I did enjoy him when he took me from behind. We enjoyed each other for hours.
My head felt like a bulldozer had done major damage. I grabbed it, eased up in bed, struggled to catch my bearings as I wondered why I was looking at a pink and orange light outside. Suddenly it registered. My heart slammed against my ribcage when I realized that I had a front row seat to daybreak, courtesy of the magnificent view from the Omni Hotel room.
I had spent the entire night with Chandler.
“OH MY GOD!”
43
IVEE
Geneva didn’t have to eavesdrop to hear what I had fought so hard to hide. I had all but spelled it out over the damn phone to Felicia. There was a reason I had avoided all of their calls before. It had taken one simple phone call to undermine weeks of careful thought and plotting.
Is there something you want to share with me? Those were Geneva’s words and they rang in my head over and over again.
As I sat in the back seat of the chauffeured car, my mind was stuck on instant replay. Geneva’s words haunted me. What else could she have been referring to? I was beyond paranoid since I couldn’t be sure how much she had overheard.
She had never been one to play her full hand. For all I knew, she was probably already planning my demise. This was probably the final thing she needed to nail my coffin closed for good. Back in the day, something like a DWI arrest would’ve been a small bleep on her radar.
Geneva was crass and hardcore. She worked hard, and played even harder, so I could only imagine she might have had run-ins with alcohol and the law before. But now that the Carson thing was still in a state of disarray, what would’ve once been a small incident could now be a major collision.
Why had she even asked the question? It wasn’t like she waited on the answer.
Before I could answer her question, she’d flicked her wrist, glanced at her watch, and said, “Oh, look at the time. I have a conference call in less than five. I’ll be back by tomorrow. That’s Thursday. You will be in, right?”
Unable to speak, I simply nodded. Was my mouth agape?
It had all been completely fake, the whole look-at-the-time act. That was not like Geneva. She shot straight from the hip at all times. Geneva didn’t care how it went down.
She gave it to us raw, and before anyone could adjust, she’d give some more.
“Hello? Hello?”
That was when I realized I hadn’t ended the call with Felicia. It had all happened so fast. I was sick to my stomach. Could I lose my job over the DWI arrest? I needed to talk to Ted.
“Felicia, I need to go,” I said.
“But, Ivee, I wanted to ask you—”
“Not now. I need to go. I’ll catch up with you later.”
The minute I ended the call with her, Jessica’s voice boomed through the phone on my desk.
“Your ride is here,” she sang.
“Oh, okay, I’ll be right there.”
I was flustered and thrown completely off. Geneva’s little maneuver had left me uneasy. That’s when the lie I had told Jessica came to mind.
My first day back at the office, I told Jessica that Zion had wrecked my car in an accident and it was being repaired.
“Well, the least he could’ve done was gotten you a rental, huh?”
“Oh, the whole idea of the accident spooked me so much, I decided I could use the break and be chauffeured around for a while.”
That, I thought, would hold me over until I got used to the idea of blowing into a device to check my breath before I could drive. What if someone at work saw me doing that crap? Then what?
I dialed Ted’s office. His secretary told me he had been in court all day. She assured me that she’d deliver my message, but that did nothing to ease my concern.
In my mind, I combed over every little thing I had said to everyone after the arrest. Luckily, I hadn’t discussed my personal business with too many people. But what if Geneva started to interview people about what I had told them? The little I had made up would probably be enough to incriminate me.
She probably heard the entire thing about me being arrested, and my talk about a drinking problem, and oh, God! I grabbed my forehead. My mind spun out of control. There was no way in the world that I could lose my job. The fact that I had snagged Wayne and his business as a client would soon mean nothing. All of that hard work would be overshadowed by one simple mistake.
The way Geneva’s face twisted when she asked me the question. Then, before I could even formulate an answer, the way she hightailed it out of there, it all spelled trouble for me. I just knew it.
