“David, I’m not making fun of you. I’ve never understood why everyone always chooses her. Why? She and I were both on Hunts Point. Why, out of all those girls, me included, did you choose her to be the one?”
“Don’t you get it, Jade? You don’t choose love. It chooses you.”
Standing there in the dark, with Jade’s questioning gaze, her hazel eyes boring right through him, David was suddenly reminded of oh, so long ago when he and Bridget had first met. Jade’s presence only served to further remind him. He suddenly took Jade in his arms, backed her up against the concrete wall of the restaurant and kissed her with such urgency, Jade wasn’t sure whether he wanted to love her or to kill her. His mouth smothering hers took her breath away, yet Jade still saw this as a golden opportunity. He was vulnerable and she would swoop down and attack. Just when she thought she had him exactly where she wanted him, Big Rob opened the door to the restaurant, witnessed the scene that had just played itself out and went back inside. But it wasn’t before making both Jade and David aware of his presence. Jade should have been the person startled by Big Rob’s presence, under the circumstances. But, it wasn’t her that was startled back into reality; it was David.
“I can’t do this. I don’t know what the hell got into me.”
He walked the half a block to his car, got in and quickly drove away, as Jade whispered under her breath.
“Gotcha!”
By the time Jade went back into the restaurant, everyone was preparing to leave and Bridget, Stephen and Brianna were gathering up Bridget’s birthday presents.
Walking by Big Rob, barely acknowledging his presence and heading straight toward Bridget, Big Rob grabbed Jade’s arm before she could get away.
“Don’t you ever disrespect me that way again. These other folks may not see you, but I do. I know who you are. Don’t you ever, ever disrespect me again, or I promise you, you will have hell to pay in more ways than one.”
Even Jade knew when to back down. She didn’t give him as much as a sideways glance. All she did was nod her head in agreement; a silent acknowledgment of Big Rob’s power.
“The gift I got you is for both you and Stephen,” Brianna offered.
“I can imagine,” was all Bridget could say.
“Don’t you know our girl here ain’t into that slutty, trashy look,” Jade commented as she approached the pair.
Brianna wasn’t stupid; she knew girls like Jade quite well. Her comment was merely an indirect diss of her. It might have worked with some, but Brianna wasn’t an insecure woman. Every time she got up out of her bed in the morning, took her shower and brushed and flossed her teeth, she knew her choice of attire would garner any measure of glares, stares and negativity. But she didn’t dress to please anyone but herself.
“I don’t recall mentioning what was wrapped up inside of the box I gave her, but yes, I will agree with you, Bridget is not into that slutty, trashy look. She’s a class act. In fact, I believe there are those that could learn a thing or two from Bridget about dignity.”
“Ain’t that the truth,” Jade agreed.
Bridget always made sure that Brianna and Jade were far away from each other. Because from the very first time they ever met, it was clear they were like fire and gasoline. It was a little surprising given the fact that Bridget thought they were so very similar to one another—that daring, fearless nature was so characteristic of both of them.
“Brianna, do you need a ride home?” Bridget asked.
“No, hon. I’m fine. David told everybody at the firm to call a car service, if they didn’t drive.”
“He never ceases to amaze me. Just when I start to think he is going to drive me out of my mind with his constant demands at work, he goes and does something like that. I have to thank him. Do you know where he is?”
“I saw him leave a few minutes ago. I was outside having a smoke and he drove off in a hurry,” Brianna said.
Right after mentioning to Bridget that David had left, Brianna shot Jade a look. More than anything, she wanted Jade to know that she had been there, and that she had witnessed the entire scene between her and David. All Jade did was smirk, but there was hell in her eyes. That was when Brianna knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was trouble. More than anything, she hoped that Bridget would figure that out before it was too late.
Driving home alone, David wondered why he had stopped with Jade. The last thing in the world he needed tonight was to be alone. It would have been so easy to take her home with him, if for no other reason than to ease his pain. Yet, David recognized the fact that such a decision was wrought with trouble. Jade could obviously be extremely manipulative and she was Bridget’s closest friend. Not only that, she was there with some thug that would probably want to break him into pieces for as much as looking at Jade. No, he had done the right thing. But, above and beyond all of the obvious reasons not to have sex with her, there was something nagging at him that just didn’t feel right. Yes, he had definitely done the right thing. No point in creating more problems than he already had to deal with. He was already trying to figure out how he was going to contend with Bridget and Stephen being a couple, out in the open for all to see; especially him, not to mention them getting married. The best he could hope for was a ridiculously long engagement.
“You make me so happy,” Stephen said as they were leaving the party. “In my wildest dreams, I could never have imagined being this happy.”
“Oh, Stephen, I love you, too.”
“Not that I didn’t say I loved you or anything, because I do, but I want you to really understand what I said and that I truly mean it. I’m a firm believer in the possibility of love without functionality. Just because two people love one another doesn’t necessarily mean that they make one another happy. But you, Bridget Grey, you make me very, very happy. I hope I do the same for you.”
“Stephen, of course you do. I’m happier than I’ve ever been in my life. And, that is because of you. And, I intend to make it up to you for the rest of your life.”
By the time Stephen and Bridget got to his place, they were so hungry for one another, they could barely wait to get inside of his apartment. Bridget was more voracious in her desire for him than she had ever been; grappling with his clothing, eager to remove every stitch, sucking and nibbling at his nipples, quickly opening his pants to extract his burgeoning hard-on. She pushed him into his desk chair in the living room and straddled him, gasping as he entered her. Bridget was so tight and so wet, Stephen could barely contain himself. The feel of Bridget rising and falling, contracting with each stroke, didn’t afford him the opportunity to hold on very long before exploding inside of her with great intensity.
“Oh, baby, oh, Bridget, oh, God. That was so, so good.”
Bridget had made good on her promise. More than anything she wanted to make Stephen as happy as he had made her and she believed tonight she had. Yet, she couldn’t help but shake the feeling that while some measure of what she had done tonight had been in the spirit of love. To a degree some of it was a form of acting, a playing out of the ways she had been taught to please a man from her experiences on the street. But, was what they had just shared as real for her as it was for Stephen?
CHAPTER TEN
THE WEDDING/BUSTER SIGHTING
So where are you two bourgeois gonna live anyway?” Jade asked while she feigned helping Bridget get ready to walk down the aisle.
“Stephen found a beautiful condo on East Seventy-third Street. It’s perfect; two bedrooms, eat-in kitchen, a den, and a huge living room. He’s already talking about turning one of the rooms into a nursery.”
“Damn, homeboy’s tryin’ to keep you barefoot and pregnant with a swiftness.”
“No, that’s not it. It’s just that he knows how much I want children. I’ve always wanted a big family; a family of my own. When we were at Mannersville, it was all I ever thought about.”
“That’s not how I remember it. From what I remember, all you talked about at
Mannersville was law school.”
“I know, I want both. I want the whole package; a career, family, a home. All the things I never had.”
“Hmph. I also remember that when we were at Mannersville, you said we were family.”
“We are Jade. It’s just, it would be nice to start a family of my own. To feel that life growing inside of me. I want an opportunity to do things right, different than my parents.”
“I ain’t never havin’ no rugrats. Children bleed the life out of a person. I’ll never let anyone do that to me.”
“Jade, that’s an awful thing to say.”
“Yeah, awful, but true.”
“So if you’re so ready to be a house frau, what is your problem? You are marrying a handsome, rich lawyer. You better walk your ass down that aisle with a quickness, before I take your fuckin’ place.”
“I love Stephen and I know he loves me, but I feel like I’m living a lie. Would he still love me as much and want to marry me as much if he knew about my past? I feel like this marriage hasn’t got a chance in hell, unless I tell him everything there is to know about me.”
“Have you lost your damn mind? What is to be gained by tellin’ Stephen all those sordid details? You tell him and you’re a fool. Haven’t you had enough drama in your life? Sometimes in relationships a secret or two is necessary. Trust me, the last thing you want to do is open up your mouth.”
“Jade, can I ask you something?”
“What now?”
“Do you ever miss having a father?”
“How the hell can you miss something you never had?”
“This is supposed to be the happiest day of my life and all I keep thinking is, I don’t even have a father to walk me down the aisle.”
“Shit! Is that all you’re vexing over? I can get Big Rob to walk you down the aisle. He’s been there for us more than either of our fathers ever could have been.”
“No, that’s okay. Big Rob is cool and all, but it would be nice if it were someone special; someone who really cares about me. I asked David, but he got so weird with me that I left it alone.”
Jade grinned to herself while Bridget was preoccupied with her thoughts. It amazed her that after all Bridget had been through, she could still be so fuckin’ naïve. Ever since she had come to work at McDonnell & Simpson, that man had been walkin’ around feenin’ for her ass. Somehow she had managed not to notice a thing. Why the fuck would he want to walk a woman down the aisle that he was consumed with?
“Bridget, you know how David is; Mr. Low Key,” Jade lied.
“Yeah, I know. Still, I think this would have felt more like a wedding, if I had someone like David to walk me down the aisle.”
“Well, Bridget, I hate to break it to you, but that ain’t gonna happen, at least not this go-round.”
“God, Jade, why do you say things like that? It’s my wedding day and this will be my only go-round.”
“All I’m saying is you got two hundred-plus guests waitin’ for you to make your grand entrance. In other words, get your ass in gear. Speakin’ of which, who the fuck are all those people anyway?”
“I have no idea. Clients, friends of Stephen’s and his parents. But I think mostly clients. You know Stephen, always trying to cement his business relationship with his clients. David hit the jackpot when he hired that man. I hope he knows how lucky he is to have an associate like Stephen at his firm. Speaking of guests, has David gotten here yet? I thought he would at least stop by and wish me well.”
“He’s probably already taken his seat, like everybody else waiting for you!”
“Okay, okay, I get the hint. I’m ready.”
Jade knew exactly where David was—exactly where she had left him, in his office, doing what most lovesick men would be doing at a time like this—getting drunk. Jade made sure he was well supplied with his signature Dalwhinnie, so he could sufficiently lick his wounds, ultimately fuckin’ up Bridget’s day.
Uhm, Jade thought to herself, I wonder if Bridget might like another male figure in her life to walk her down the aisle; one she hadn’t seen in a long, long time.
“Jade, Jade, I’m ready.”
“Where were you?” Bridget asked. “It’s my wedding day and you’re more preoccupied than I am.”
“Just thinking about how far we’ve both come, that’s all. So, you ready to do this or what?”
“Yeah, I’m ready.”
As Bridget approached the opulent doors to where she was about to marry the man of her dreams, she marveled at what her life had become. As she approached the beautiful red carpet which adorned the ash wood floors of the Altman Building, an elegant landmark building owned by none other than David McDonnell, she looked for David’s face among the crowd of guests, eager to flash him a smile, a meager means of thanking him for all that he had done for her and Stephen. Instead, the face she saw drained all the life from her body and she collapsed right where she stood.
As Bridget lay at the entrance to the wedding hall, overcome by the sight of her greatest nightmare sitting among all the well-wishers, David stood directly behind her, a bit disheveled, but there nonetheless. He had sat in his office, in the dark for hours, when he realized there was no way in hell he could sit there and not see her. Even though she wasn’t marrying him, nothing on earth could keep him from seeing her in all her beauty, on her wedding day. And, of course, as with most people in love, who can’t have the one they want, he was ever hopeful that he still had a chance of her changing her mind. A minimal chance, given he had never shared his feelings with her, but a chance nonetheless.
“Shit!” Jade muttered under her breath. “That fuckin’ girl must have her own damn guardian angel.”
Once again Bridget was going to get exactly what she wanted and ruin all of her fun. Jade still believed Bridget lived way too charmed a life. It never occurred to the envious Jade that all her attempts to fuck with Bridget were met with the opposite effect. In Jade’s case, karma truly was a bitch.
Bridget slowly awakened to find all of her loved ones at her side; Jade, Stephen—and David.
David, who was standing directly behind her when she had fallen, was holding on to her tightly so as to ensure she wouldn’t take another tumble.
In a vain attempt at levity, coupled with a desire to get as close to her as possible, his lips brushed her ear lightly touching the pearl earrings he had given her for her birthday a year earlier, whispering, “You didn’t have to pass out in order to get me to escort you down the aisle. I’m here. I’m just a little late—as usual.”
The wedding reception was abuzz with speculation at what might have caused Bridget’s sudden collapse: the excitement of her nuptials; illness; and, of course, pregnancy. But only Bridget and Jade knew the true reason she had passed out.
Jade had always made it a sport toying with Bridget—but tonight was too good to be true.
“What was that all about?” Jade asked.
“It must be all the excitement of the wedding. I thought I saw him.”
“Him, who?” Jade asked with exasperation.
“Buster.”
“Now I know you’re coming unglued. Buster? Is that wishful thinking on your part or are you just more stressed than I thought?”
“It might be a little bit of both. I guess somewhere in my mind I can’t help but wonder how different things might be, if I hadn’t left Mannersville the way that I did. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love my life. But there’s always that lingering worry that one day everyone will find out. I don’t think I could stand that.”
“No one’s going to find out. But, don’t get it twisted; Buster is definitely not popping up at your wedding. Honey, you removed the chances of Buster popping up anywhere a long, long time ago.”
“I know. I guess it’s just wishful thinking.”
“Why the hell would you wish some shit like that?”
“No matter what he did, no one deserves to die. I took someone’s life into my own hands, and I didn’t
have that right. I just wish I had it to do over again.”
“This is life, sweetie; you don’t get do-overs. The sooner you recognize that, the better off you’ll be.”
Bridget thought of what Jade said. But, hadn’t they both gotten do-overs? Look at their lives. Look at her wedding. If someone had told her the day she ran from Mannersville that this would be her life one day, she would have laughed in their face. But here she was in an impressive wedding hall marrying one of New York’s most coveted bachelors. And, the entire wedding had been paid for by her boss. Life had been kind to her, indeed. And, although Jade had chosen a different path than she had, gone were the days of either of them going to bed hungry. After their life-altering escape from Mannersville, she felt as though she had most certainly gotten one hell of a do-over. Bridget was grateful for whatever force allowed her life to unfold as it had. She was committed to seeing to it that she lived an exemplary life so that she would always feel worthy.
Bridget watched Stephen from across the room mingling with their guests and she felt overwhelmed with pride. Unfortunately, nagging somewhere in the pit of her stomach was her concern at being “found out.” How would Stephen, or his family, for that matter, react if they knew who she really was?
“Jade, I hate to interrupt this whole maid of honor, bride mo ment, but may I dance with my beautiful bride?”
“I don’t know, Stephen,” Jade responded. “I’m starting to think you don’t like me. Everyone in the wedding party has danced with you except for me.”
For a moment, Stephen looked from Jade to Bridget, eager for Bridget to rescue him. For some time he had a developing level of discomfort around Jade. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but there was something about her that aroused an undercurrent of unease.
However, this was his wedding day and he didn’t want either Jade or Bridget to believe he took any sort of issue with Jade, so he obliged her.
“Bridget, do you mind?” he asked.
“Of course not, sweetie. The night wouldn’t be complete if you didn’t dance with my girl.”
Color Me Grey Page 15
