Watercolors

by Vera Roberts

  Aaliyah set down her phone and sipped her tea. She couldn’t help but to remember how cold and clinical the pair was towards her just a few weeks prior as if they shit didn’t stink. Now the chickens came home to roost.

  She smiled.

  Her phone buzzed and it was text notification from Ocean. Stay where you are. I’m around the corner.

  What? Aaliyah set her phone down and looked around. Her body sensed he was near and she became so aware of him. Ocean appeared a short time later and made a beeline towards her. Aaliyah barely managed to get to her feet when Ocean embraced her and kissed her forehead.

  “How did you know I was here specifically?” Aaliyah asked. “Unless you…”

  “…had a tracker place on your phone, yes.” He answered. “Why didn’t you let me know you would be here, angel?” He whispered. “I could’ve made arrangements.”

  “I didn’t want you to,” Aaliyah relished in the scent of him. He smelled of musk and just man. His strong arms wrapped around her body and the world went still. “I needed to talk to you urgently and privately.”

  Ocean pulled back and looked at his fiancée with questioning eyes. “What are you talking about?”

  “I need to talk to you tonight. I don’t want to ruin your day, okay?” She kissed his lips. They were soft and sensual. “I just need to talk to you.”

  “Can you give me a hint?” He pleaded. “I don’t want to go all day thinking about this. Are you breaking up with me?”

  “No, but you might break up with me.” She blew out a breath. “O, I really need to talk to you about my past.”

  “What is it about your past?” He asked. “I told you I don’t care about it.”

  “But you should, O. You should. My past isn’t pretty. I’ve done some pretty bad things and there’s evidence of it. If this gets out, it’ll ruin you. Your father knew about it. So did Ximena. I’m pretty sure other people know as well.” Aaliyah looked at Ocean and her heart broke by seeing how upset his eyes were. “It’s best we end this now so you don’t get hurt.”

  Ocean nodded. He let out a small breath. “I have a few hours left. Can you wait that long?” He asked.

  Aaliyah had no choice. “Yes,” she nodded.

  “Good. Go back to your hotel room and wait for me, Liyah. Okay? Wait for me. I’ll be there in a few hours.” He kissed her. “I’ll see you soon.” He left the coffee shop.

  Aaliyah released the breath she held. It was 1 PM and she had at least six hours to go before Ocean saw her. It was going to be the longest wait of her life.

  Sixteen

  Thomas Ellison read the internet reaction of Ricardo’s fall from grace. Almost everyone expressed disgust, shock, and flat-out bewilderment at Ricardo. Many in the Latino community were disappointed, while the conservatives finally cheered about his demise, not withstanding scandals of their own.

  Thomas shook his head and declined to comment when approached by members of the press. He knew Ricardo was a philanderer just like many others in politics, but he’d crossed a line Thomas couldn’t defend nor did he want to offer any disgust. He kept silent and plotted his next move.

  Thomas thought about his own affairs and various infidelities but he’d never drugged or raped anyone. He didn’t have to. Either a woman fucked him or she left him alone. He approached her the same way he did with the others and it was always her that made the first move.

  He wished never met Maria that night.

  They hired Maria from a brothel and she flew in. He remembered her name was Maria because he’d never met a black woman named Maria. It didn’t matter. Maria could suck his dick like a vacuum cleaner and licked Starr into several orgasms.

  He offered to take Maria back to the hotel himself, instead of sending her off in a cab. They continued their tryst in the car and when Thomas looked up, it was too late to break. They slammed into the tree. He survived because he wore a seat belt. Maria was dead on arrival.

  Aaliyah reminded him of Maria.

  It was like the ghost of Maria came back in the form of Aaliyah and Thomas didn’t want the same thing to happen to Ocean. The press still brought up the affair, and the conspiracy theorists long-believed Thomas intentionally killed Maria. When he received the dossier about Aaliyah, Thomas knew she was not good for Ocean or the family as a collective.

  He hoped Aaliyah got the message at Briana’s fundraiser. She wasn’t built for D.C. life and Ocean wasn’t going to amend his to hers. It wasn’t going to work no matter how much the pair believed it would.

  Lyric cooed on his shoulder and Thomas rubbed her back. “We gotta do something about your uncle, baby girl.” He whispered. “I need to try harder.”

  “Thomas,” his secretary said through his speakerphone, “you have Jacob Edwards on the line.”

  Thomas rolled his eyes. Jay was the last person he wanted to talk to and given the man gave him a threat in their last phone call, Thomas did not intend to speak with him. He also knew he couldn’t avoid Jay forever. “Put him through.” Thomas put Lyric inside her bassinet and gently rocked it.

  He picked up the phone and spoke. “Jay. How are you doing, old friend?”

  “I’m doing fabulous,” Jay replied, “how are you, Thomas?”

  “I’m doing great. Just spending some great quality time with my grandbaby here.” Thomas replied. “What brings this phone call, Jacob?”

  “I’ll keep this short and sweet. Today’s news about your friend was a warning shot to you,” Jay watched Aileen suck his cock, “the next time, you’ll have the killshot.”

  “You keep making these empty threats to me, Jacob, and honestly, it’s old and tiring.” Thomas called his bluff. “Either you have something on me or you don’t.”

  “The media thinks your little car accident from some 20 years ago was a horrible accident. What the media doesn’t know you intentionally killed her because she was about to write a tell-all about you and Starr and if that got out, it would ruin the Ellison brand. So you killed the whore and made it look like a horrible car accident.” Jay caressed Aileen’s cheek as she kept sucking him off. “I always wondered how was it that you didn’t have a single scratch on you yet Maria was mangled.”

  “That doesn’t prove anything…” Thomas interrupted.

  “But no one questioned why Starr wasn’t seen in public for months after the accident?” Jay replied. “The media thought she went into seclusion because she didn’t want to be embarrassed but we both know the real reason why she wasn’t seen, isn’t that right, Tommy? She wasn’t seen because she was healing from her wounds. She was the one driving the car that night and she intentionally ran into the tree. You were in a car following her and you two switched places. You pulled down your pants and created the myth that you were getting head and lost control of the car, when really, it was your wife who intentionally killed that prostitute.”

  Thomas chuckled. “That’s a cute theory except you have absolutely no proof.”

  “Oh, but I do. Bitch, don’t you know I’m the CIA?” Jay smiled and stroked Aileen’s hair. “That other driver? Who was that person, Thomas? It wasn’t the usual drivers you guys had because you sent them away that night. But it was an urgent situation and it called for desperate measures so you had to get the one person who was available. You had to get Ocean.

  “After Ocean came back home, you two promptly sent him away to visit his grandparents for the summer so no one would ask him questions and it gave him an alibi. Your other two sons were too young to remember and believe the story the press told so they were never questioned about anything. Starr was never interviewed and you took the heat. Your family had gotten away with murder – quite literally – and no one thought the wiser. It would’ve been perfect if it wasn’t for the fact you started to meddle with Aaliyah and that was the line Ocean didn’t want to cross. When you potentially mess with what I’m doing, then you and me have issues.” Jay emptied in Aileen’s willing mouth and he let out a breath. “Again, what happened with Ric
ardo was a warning shot. You meddle with Ocean’s affairs again and I’ll kill you on sight. Have a beautiful day, Tommy.” Jay hung up.

  ~~~~~~

  Ricardo Montez didn’t even want to look at the media frenzy.

  He stayed away from social media and kept himself busy. People had begun distancing themselves from him and Ricardo didn’t get any return phone calls. His world came crashing down in just a matter of hours.

  The girl told him she needed to take an Alka-Seltzer before she had sex because she felt stuffy and clogged up. Ricardo obliged her request. She was active throughout their lovemaking but the video only showed when she was still.

  It didn’t matter. There was no proof the drug wasn’t a roofie and the girl seemingly disappeared into thin air. If the police find the girl, he’ll be charged. The video was more than damning evidence.

  The only person who stood by Ricardo’s side was his only daughter, who swore she would find the underlying cause of the scandal and clear his name. He was thankful for her. Even his wife remained quiet and distant. Ricardo smirked at the thought; she was more concerned about her social standing than anything else.

  Ricardo shook his head and thought about the future. He could fight this and win. If he could prove he was tricked, he was golden. He just needed to find the right legal team to represent him. And that PR genius in California? What was his name? Scott Reed? He’ll clean this all up for him.

  “Mr. Montez,” his maid came into the study, “you have a package, sir.”

  “Set it down.” He instructed and she placed the small box on his desk. “Thank you, Alicia.”

  “You’re welcome, sir.” She smiled and exited his office.

  Ricardo opened his box and felt his heart sank to the pit of his stomach. It was full of matches.

  Seventeen

  Ocean arrived at Aaliyah’s hotel room just after eight p.m. He was briefly worried she wasn’t going to be there but when he knocked, she opened the door.

  She had a smile on her face, though her eyes told a different story. She was saddened and worried. There was a flicker of tension between her shoulders and the relaxed, carefree Aaliyah no longer existed at that moment.

  Ocean stepped inside the room and made his way to the table. Aaliyah’s items were still packed in her suitcase. She had no intention of staying. “Rainbow,” his voice was low and needy, “what’s going on? Talk to me.”

  Aaliyah took a deep breath and walked over to Ocean. She sat down and kept her hands to herself. She wanted to touch him, to hold him, but she didn’t want the risk of him pushing her away when she finally revealed the news. “There’s something I need to tell you.”

  “I’m here,” Ocean reached out for her hand and Aaliyah shook her head. “What’s going on, honey?”

  “I’ve been trying to tell you about my past so it came from me and not from anyone else. I thought if I could never tell you and just have you find out, I would explain then.” She wiped a fallen tear from her cheek, “but I can’t risk losing you then if you never knew about it from the start. I rather lose you now an deal with the consequences so I can move on and you can, too.”

  “Baby, you’re scaring me.” Ocean replied. “What’s happening here?”

  “A long time ago when I was just out of college. I needed money. And I needed money in a bad way. I worked at my mom’s restaurant for a bit but I was barely scrapping by. I couldn’t find anything in Atlanta and I didn’t fit in working at my dad’s garage with all of the men.” She blew out another breath. “I went online to research jobs and fast-paying gigs. I saw an advertisement for the Honey Ranch brothel in Vegas.

  “I applied for it. I sent pictures and the owner, Jackson, flew me out. I…” Aaliyah took another breath. “I auditioned for him, if you will. I was hired a short time later. I worked there for two years and saved up enough money to put myself through art school and move back to L.A. When my tattoo business got off the ground, I asked Jackson to remove any traces of me on his website and he obliged. He didn’t do it quick enough; your dad found out about me.

  “It wasn’t my intention to tell you but your dad made it seem you knew or you were going to know soon. When you came back just a short while ago, you acted like you didn’t know and I tried to bring it up numerous times but it was never the right time. Now we’re talking about getting married and me moving back to L.A. and I just…” Aaliyah wiped another fallen tear. “I can’t do that unless you know the full and honest truth about my past. If you think about staying in public office, you need to know this.

  She took another deep breath. “If we’re going to keep at this, there needs to be transparency. I can’t have you go into a marriage if there are lies and deception.” She sniffled and wiped her nose. “So, there. There it is. If you want to leave, now’s the time to do it. I won’t bother you anymore and here....” She took off the engagement ring and slid it over to him. “You can have this back. I’m sure it cost a pretty penny and you want it.”

  Ocean chewed his lips and shook his head. “You’re right, Liyah, I am angry. I’m angry about one thing in particular.” He slid to one knee on the floor and grabbed the ring. He grabbed her left hand and slid the ring back on. “This stays on your finger forever. If you have to wear a simple band, we’ll get one. But this ring is never coming off. No givies-backsies. I don’t play that.”

  Aaliyah gasped and the tears fell down harder. “O…”

  “I don’t care about your past, rainbow. I don’t care about your past because I’m your present and future.” He slowly stood and motioned her to stand with him. “Liyah, you’re everything to me. Nothing will ever change that.”

  “O, my past?” She interrupted. “That’s huge.”

  “No, it’s not,” he shook his head, “I would never hold it against you. Your past has no effect on my political future, if there is one.”

  “You say that but people will find out,” Aaliyah retorted, “and when they find out, the family name will be ruined.”

  “Doubtful. We have plenty of skeletons in our closet. If anyone hasn’t found out anything by now, they won’t.” Ocean cupped his fiancée’s face within his hands. “I don’t care about your past and I doubt I ever will.”

  Aaliyah thought about the private investigator. “You’re not going to want to get another woman in bed with us or do some other freaky-deeky shit?” She managed a laugh.

  “I only want to get freaky-deeky with one woman and that’s the one I’m holding right now.” He swept his lips over hers and he felt her body sigh in response. “You’re the only one I want, have ever wanted, and will always want.” He picked her up and laid her on the bed. He climbed on top of Aaliyah and nestled himself between her thighs. He ground against her and Aaliyah sighed on the friction.

  Ocean rolled himself off her and removed Aaliyah’s pants and underwear. He climbed back on the bed and he cupped her sex between his hands. She was slick and hot with arousal. “I don’t care who you fucked before. All I know is this pussy belongs to me now and it’ll always be mine.”

  All Aaliyah could do was nod. She was close to breaking up with Ocean and within moments, they were about to make love and solidify their commitment. “Yes,” she whispered. She swallowed hard and her body felt hot to the touch.

  “I’m going to fuck all of the insecurity and pain away,” he quickly removed his clothing and Aaliyah followed suit with her top. “I need you like I need air, Liyah.”

  “Take me,” her voice became hoarse and needy.

  Ocean’s cock nudged against Aaliyah’s folds before he pushed in. She gasped while he hissed at the blistering hot connection. She opened her eyes and watched his face morph from anger to pleasure with each thrust. “I love you, O.”

  “I love you, Liyah,” his cock slid in and out of her tight, wet heat, “I’ll love you forever.”

  Aaliyah moaned and cooed as Ocean followed suit. She quivered against his thick cock, while he filled her completely. She moaned against him as she
felt his mouth on her neck. He relentlessly drove into her with measured, powerful thrusts until she climaxed and stilled her body.

  “Liyah…” He moaned. He felt her pussy milking his cock with each thrust; encouraging him to fuck her harder and faster. “I want you to come on this dick. Can you do that for me, baby? I want to feel you come all over my dick.” He lifted her legs up and thrust deeper into her. Aaliyah clutched at the bed and screamed as another orgasm split her apart.

  “That’s my girl,” Ocean thrust harder into her as his own release nipped at him. “I’m coming, baby,” he groaned and emptied inside her. Ocean stilled his body as Aaliyah caressed his face and gently kissed his cheeks.

  He rolled on to his back while Aaliyah straddled him. “Never leave me,” he whispered to her, stroking her back.

  She kissed his neck and nuzzled against him. “Never.”

  ~~~~~~

  High Maple, Maine was different from any place Aaliyah had ever been to. In fact, she wasn’t sure how she would describe it other than being awesome.

  Clear blue skies matched the lake. Old homes reflected the wealth and simplicity of those who lived there. The city had a lot of old charm but adjusted to the current times. The old clock in the middle of the town still rung every hour and half-hour while a digital clock beneath it total the temperature, a crisp 75 degrees.

  Families strolled along the lake with dogs or each other, while the teens were glued to their cell phones. Older folks complained about today’s youth, while they checked their Facebook accounts and liked photos.

  There was a central church that everyone went to and every Sunday, the shops were closed from eight to one p.m. in observance of service. Old buildings were made out of stone and brick, and often contained small antidotes of the town. They all had a colonial, almost royal feel to them and that was intentional.