by Linda Verji
Lex asked, “What will you do about Nikki registering at the gym?”
“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “I’ll see how it plays out.”
She didn’t know what games Nikki was playing, but she doubted the woman had registered at Body & Spirit for fitness. The redhead had an agenda. Olivia hoped it wasn’t to get her fired because then Tay would really be in hot water.
That turd! The punishment she’d given Tay was too small. She should’ve knocked out his kneecaps, scalped him or broken a few fingers. He’d used her; left her open to embarrassment. The shame! Thinking of how she’d clung to him lovingly around his friends sent a flush of mortification through her.
Wait a minute! A thought struck her. They’d known. Tay’s friends knew he was married and none of them had said anything. There Marcel was, being an asshole to her while knowing full well that his friend was playing her like a daft fiddle. Not that she was surprised. With the way he exchanged women, he was probably the one who’d encouraged Tay.
Well, she had something for him too.
If this was the last night she would see Marcel and his good for nothing best-friend, then she would make damn sure they remembered her. The next time they decided to play with a woman’s feelings, they’d remember her.
“Where are you going?” Lex asked when she stood.
“I’ll be back.” Olivia grabbed her wig and her car keys.
CHAPTER 7
Marcel rapped on the bathroom door. “You okay in there?”
A loud trumpet-like sound answered him.
Guess not. Marcel shook his head as a reluctant smile tugged at his lips. If there had ever been any doubt that Olivia was certifiable then today was proof enough. At around three a.m., a cab had dropped off a towel-clad Tay at his doorstep. Before Marcel could ask any questions, the man had raced to the bathroom cussing Olivia all the way.
One hour later and Tay was still in the bathroom.
Whatever Olivia had done to him stunk. It stunk to high heaven! Marcel’s guest room reeked worse than a sewer pipe. Pig had taken one whiff of the room and scrambled away, his olfactory receptors probably scarred for life. Marcel hated to imagine what it smelled like inside the bathroom.
He knocked tentatively on the door. “Are you sure you don’t want me to take you to the Emergency Room?”
Tay yelled, “No.”
Needing some fresh air, Marcel walked to the living room. He found Pig curled up on the couch. The dog offered him a sorrowful glance.
“I know, buddy.” Marcel ruffled his fur as he sat down. “We’ll need a lot of air-freshener.”
“Woof,” Pig agreed, snuggling up to his master.
Marcel had to wonder why Tay hadn’t asked the cab to drop him off at his own house. There were bathrooms there, weren’t there? And it wasn’t like Nikki would question where he’d been.
Waking me up in the middle of the night and stinking up my house with Olivia stench. Marcel clicked his tongue against his teeth. As if I’m not doing enough for them already by giving them a place to meet.
He switched on the TV but soon drifted off to the hum of the newscasters’ voices. Minutes later, he woke up to a hand shaking his shoulder and someone calling his name. “Marcel.”
He pried open his eyes to find Tay standing by the couch. Tay said, “I borrowed some antacid from your bathroom.”
“It’s-” Marcel cleared his throat to ease the gravel in his voice and sat up. “It’s cool.”
Tay was in one of the numerous t-shirts he kept in Marcel’s guest room and gray sweatpants identical to Marcel’s.
“You okay?” Marcel asked.
“Yeah.” His face the picture of anger, Tay plopped onto the couch. “Man, that crazy woman took out my favorite suit.”
Leave it to Tay to be more worried about his suit than the apparent poisoning. Marcel asked. “What happened?”
“To my suit?” Tay didn’t wait for him to answer. “She soaked it in ketchup and some other shit. That was after she poisoned me and before she broke the windows out my BMW. Can you believe that shit?”
Marcel winced. Talk about having a rough night! Sure, Olivia was possessed. But this was past her usual crazy. He asked, “What happened between you two.”
“She found out I’m married.”
Marcel wrinkled his brow in confusion. “I thought she already knew.”
Tay dismissed his statement with a wave. “I don’t even know how she found out.” He added bitterly, “That psycho was probably stalking me.”
But Marcel was still stuck on the ‘found out I’m married’ pay. Tay had told them that Olivia knew of his relationship status and his arrangement with Nikki. It was one of the things that pissed Marcel off even more about Olivia. What kind of woman was comfortable sleeping with a man knowing he was married even if he and his wife had an ‘arrangement’?
She didn’t know. Judging from the damage she’d done to Tay it was obvious it wasn’t a situation she was willing to entertain. It was enough to turn everything he assumed about Olivia on its head. She didn’t know.
“You have to get my car tomorrow.” Tay interrupted Marcel’s thoughts. He added morosely, “That is if she hasn’t set it on fire.”
“Hell, no!” Marcel laughed. “I’m not going near that woman.”
“You scared?”
Marcel didn’t even hesitate. “Hell. Yes.”
Tay’s gaze turned contemplative. “You think Sebastien will get it for me?”
“No.” Marcel shook his head. He’d make sure his brother had the full story before Tay came up with a twisted version to convince Sebastien to get the car. He asked, “What were you thinking not telling her you were married?”
Tay was notorious for making up lies to cover up his misdeeds. Back in college it hadn’t been as bad, but after marrying Nikki his lying habit had exploded. It was becoming harder and harder to tell when Tay was giving the true story or an edited version. But what he’d done to Olivia was just outrageous.
Tay offered him a sheepish, “I wasn’t thinking straight,” instead of lying.
Marcel wanted to berate him more, but the guy had been through enough for one night, so he simply shrugged. “Well at least she’s out of your life now, so she won’t poison you again.”
His words were proven wrong when a couple of minutes later, the TV beeped indicating that there was someone at the gate. At four thirty in the morning? Who the hell visits at four thirty? He switched channels to the security feed.
“Oh, hell no!” Both Marcel and Tay exclaimed when they saw the luminous green Nismo at the gate.
“You changed the code, didn’t you?” Tay threw the panicked question to Marcel.
“When was I supposed to do that?” Marcel asked. On screen Olivia punched in the security code and the gates swung open.
“Fuck!” Tay hopped over the couch. Scrambling towards the bedrooms, he threw over his shoulders, “Tell her I’m not here.”
Talk to Olivia? Hell, no. Marcel wasn’t even going to open the door for her.
He walked over to the windows and pulled the drapes aside slightly, watching her cruise into the entry courtyard. She may have the security code to the gates but she couldn’t get into the house without him letting her in. Apart from screaming herself hoarse there wasn’t anything else she could do out there, was there?
Apparently there was.
Olivia stepped out her car and walked to his. As if she knew he was watching, she brandished her car keys threateningly then scraped them over his Lexus.
His brand new Lexus.
“The hell!” He was out of the house faster than a bullet. He didn’t even care that he was only in sweatpants and socks or that the door slammed closed behind him. His only thought was to stop the crazy woman keying his car’s trunk.“Olivia. Olivia.”
Her response was the painful screech of her keys cut across the left side of his car. He raced towards her but she took off for the right side of the car.
“
I’ll kill you,” he yelled out. She responded by scratching a zig zag over the car’s hood.
Oh. Hell. No. Olivia was so dead. He’d kill her if it was the last thing he did.
His life had been peaceful until he’d met Olivia. After that everything had gone to hell. She’d invaded his nights, filled them with recollections of her in his arms and how she’d seduced him with her dancing. But in his dreams their dance didn’t stop in that club. In his dreams, he took her home and had her in every position possible imaginable.
As if the erotic dreams weren’t torment enough she’d started dating Tay. Each day watching them was a thorn, pricking Marcel and reminding him of everything he’d never had. Hadn’t she tortured him enough? Now she had to go and ruin his car?
The thin hold he had on his temper snapped. Anger propelled him toward her, but she’d already taken off for the other side of the car, her key massacring the vehicle as she went.
“Come get me!” she dared, swinging the keys like they were a sword.
So she thought she could outrun him, huh? Marcel feinted to the right. Olivia took off for the left side. Quick as silver he changed his direction. By the time she noticed his trick and turned, he was already bearing down on her.
“No,” she yelled when he grabbed her t-shirt and yanked her back into his arms. He tried to wrap his arms around her in a tight band but she turned and punched his chest with enough force to hurt.
“Oomph!” he groaned at the sting of her punch. She was lucky she was a woman otherwise he would’ve returned the favor. Instead, he clamped his hand around her wrist to prevent another punch.
When Olivia cocked her other arm, Marcel was ready for her. He captured her fist and dragged her bodily towards him. Pinning both her arms between their chests, he closed his arms around her in a tight band.
Still, she refused to give up.
“Let me go.” She bucked and twisted like a mad woman in his arms. “Let me go.”
“No.” His gaze locked on hers. Her expressive eyes were alive with anger identical to his.
“Marcel, let me go.”
“No.”
She arched and attempted to knee him. But he shifted before she could, and her knee grazed his inner thigh harmlessly. To make sure she didn’t try to knee him again, he turned and pressed her back to the car. He leaned all his weight on her, using his legs to keep her from kicking.
Now she was truly trapped.
He expected her to keep fighting; expected her to keep cussing at him. Instead her angry eyes filled with tears. One slid down her cheek. To say the tears shocked Marcel would be an understatement.
This was Olivia. Strong, crazy, sexy Olivia. She was the woman who gave back as good as she got; a fighter and full of spirit. He’d never seen vulnerability in her, least of all tears. Until now he hadn’t even thought of what effect Tay’s betrayal would have on her. Now faced with it, he had no idea what to do.
Against his better judgment, a crack formed in his shell of anger. “Liv-”
“Don’t.” She pushed at his chest and lowered her face. “Leave me alone, Marcel.”
He eased the pressure on her body, but didn’t step away completely. He couldn’t. Gathering her into his arms, he murmured, “Stop crying.”
“Let me go.” She punched him but this one was light, and though he’d given her enough space to escape, she stayed in his arms.
“Livy, stop crying.” He tucked a stray strand of her red hair behind her ear.
“I hate you,” she muttered, but leant her forehead against his naked chest. Her fists slipped from his chest to the sides of his waist resting lightly on his skin as she let him hold her. There was no sound to her crying. In fact if it wasn’t for the trembling and the wetness that trailed down his chest he would’ve missed it.
“Livy,” he whispered her name. He hated to see her so frail, so hurt. He soothed his hands over her back, drawing her closer until they were chest to chest. “I’m sorry.”
He had no idea why he was apologizing. This wasn’t even his fault. Marcel threw an angry glare towards the house. So like Tay! To start a fire then leave everyone else to extinguish it.
Marcel ran his hands up and down Olivia’s back and arms, warming and soothing her as she cried. He was aware of dawn’s cold biting into his half-naked body as he held her, but he didn’t want to leave her alone. Lucky for him, she soon calmed down. Still refusing to look at him, she shuffled backwards and away from his body.
“Where are your car keys?” he asked.
She sniffed. “Don’t know.”
Moving away from her, he crouched to find the keys. If it wasn’t for the colorful parrot on her key-ring, the search probably would’ve lasted longer. He found the keys by the front tire of his car.
Her keys in hand, he urged her toward her car. He clicked on the keys to open the doors then led her to the passenger side. Obviously surprised, she looked up at him through wet, spiky eyelashes.
“I’m driving you home,” he answered her unspoken question. He thought she’d resist but she quietly settled into the car. Once she was in, he said, “Let me get a t-shirt first, okay?”
Taking her non-answer for an ‘okay’ he strode back to the front door. It didn’t hit him that the door had locked after him until he tried the knob.
“Damn it!” He rang the doorbell but only Pig’s barking on the other side greeted him. Over and over, he rang and still Tay didn’t come to the door. After several more rings, he gave up.
That coward. Shaking his head, Marcel trod back to Olivia’s car. Hopefully by the time he came back to the house, Tay would’ve grown some balls. Fortunately for him, Olivia’s car was warm enough that his lack of a top was a minor inconvenience.
Olivia was silent the whole way home, staring out the window into the morning darkness. Marcel cast worried glances her way as he drove, wondering if she’d be okay. If they were friends, he could’ve checked up on her.
But they weren’t, were they?
As soon as he eased the Nismo into her parking spot, she practically flew out of the car. She didn’t even look back as she entered her building. Marcel sighed as he backed the car out of the complex again and headed back to his own place.
CHAPTER 8
“Five, four, three, two, one. Change. Repeat knee. Eight…” Olivia sang as she bounced on the step in rhythm to the upbeat music. “… seven, six, five…”
The participants of her step aerobics class shuffled in time to her instructions their gasps, moans and cheers filling the room.
“How are you guys feeling?” she asked.
“Good.” Their voices rang in the spacious hall as they sprang up and down the steps.
“Nice.” Olivia smiled as she watched them in the mirror. A bead of sweat trickling down her temple, she yelled, “Let’s try for sixteen corner kicks. Kick, step, kick, step. Don’t forget to breath. Thirteen, step, twelve, step. Jenna count it down for us.”
“Ten, step, nine, step,” Jenna, a middle-aged lady from the middle row, yelled out. “Eight, step…”
From the plump to the slender; they galloped along to her pace with unerring accuracy. Their energetic responses were, inspiring satisfying; exactly what Olivia needed to forget the previous day’s disastrous events. Sure Tay was top on her list of things she didn’t want to think about. But closely following it was that she’d cried in front of Marcel.
She’d wept in front of that buffoon. Ugh!
Sure, his reaction had been unpredictable and being held in his arms had felt a little - just a little - nice. But still…
Cried. In front of Marcel. The shame!
“Lisa, no water breaks,” Olivia yelled above the music as she spotted one of the back benchers slacking off. “Get back on that step. Two, one. Basic right for four. Four, three. Looking good people. One. Straddle, up, straddle, up. Corrine, why are you scared of that step? I want to see you straddle, up, straddle, up, straddle. There you go. Straddle. Up. Straddle. Nice.”
The thought of crawling to Marcel’s house, asking for her car back and thanking him for driving her home gave her hives. No doubt he’d gloat and make her beg for it. He would show no mercy.
Maybe she could make Lex get her for her.
Yup! That’s what she’d do. Of course she’d owe Lex for life. But owing her best friend was a million times easier than having to deal with Marcel’s smug look and the reminder that she’d cried in front of him.
Resolving to call Lex as soon as she finished class, she turned back to her energetic class. “Straddle, up. We’re doing four basics then we loop and pull back. Y’all ready?”
“Ready,” they yelled out.
“Four, three, two,” Olivia sang as she hopped on and off the step one foot at a time. The class mimicked her steps flawlessly. “One. Loop, pull back, loop. Angela, careful on the step. Loop, pull, back. Perfect, ladies. You’re doing great. Loop, pull back, loop, pull back…”
By the time she wound down the class twenty minutes later, Olivia had worked up a good sweat as had many of her clients.
“I think you killed me, Liv,” Angela, who was lying on a mat by Olivia’s feet, whined. “My legs. My poor legs.”
“Tell them I said heeey,” Olivia teased with a laugh as she prodded the side of Angela’s thigh with her foot.
“You are a cruel woman.” Angela glared at Olivia but there was a twinkle of amusement in her eyes.
“Liv,” Corrine drew her attention. She was standing by the mirror with her t-shirt tucked beneath her breasts and patting her tummy. “Do you think I’ve lost inches?”
“What’d I tell you about obsessing about your stomach?” Olivia berated. “Get away from that mirror.”
“But I want a flat tummy,” Corrine whined and pouted.
“And you’ll get one,” Olivia said, “but it takes time and-”
Her words were interrupted by someone else calling her name. “Liv.”
“Yeah?” Olivia turned to see Morning, the gym’s yogi who also served as the receptionist, standing by the door. “Please don’t tell me it’s Tay calling again.”
