Love In the Red Zone (Connecticut Kings Book 1) (53 page)

The arena went nuts. I smiled at that downplay of the video scandal attempt. B made it seem so believable that we were far from two lovers, caught in bed with a third. I thought about the request for a minute, JJ looking at me for my move. I knew he thought I would embarrass her and say no. Before I was able to make a complete decision, stage handlers and guards were coming my way. They whispered something to Tyheem, likely out of respect for his job. He turned to me, asking if I wanted to go up.

What the hell. I’m a married man. I can loosen up and have fun.

I felt freed from that web of lies and confusion Brielle tried to catch me up in. I had a real lady at home. A wife who had a kid that completed my family. No, the world didn’t know that. But I felt it every second of the day since leaving Macen Beach last week. I nodded toward Tyheem and went to place my cup down before taking off in the turned up crowd. People shouting my name and trying to grab me between the horde of security.

The music had already started by the time I hit the bright stage and Brielle’s dancers were waving me on—many I’d known for years.

“All right, Trent. We all know you like to cut a rug on the field, after a big play, but let’s see how you cut it at
The Garden
!” Brielle shouted from a distance, which made this less weird.

I didn’t need to be near her. From the beat the track was fading into I knew we were going to dance to an old Brielle track that was associated with a series of dances throughout. I’d never done the dance: it was a chick thing, but I could attempt to mimic the more gender-neutral moves and make the others more masculine. I could dance my ass off, so I wasn’t insecure. If anything this was my pre-reception dance floor play—way before my formal wedding day.

The beat dropped and the girls got started. It took a few seconds in my tipsy state, but once I got started, I got into the moves fluidly. The ones I didn’t want to copy, I did my own thing. The crowd went wild over Brielle’s commentating the dances and singing the lyrics to the song. It was fun, something I started having more of since Jade. I always had a kid-like sense of humor, but I thought I lost it until Kyree started hanging out with me and Jade made me feel it was attractive and, at times, an aphrodisiac.   

The music sped up and the girls circled me, strutting, twerking, and grinding in a circle all around. A chair was behind me and out of nowhere, I was motioned to sit. I did and laughed at the show they were giving me with a new track blending in. A slower unfamiliar one. The dancer’s moves turned more seductive. I cackled, mostly to myself about being a part of their show now as an observer and no more a participant.

Then the lights cut when the beat dropped. For a few seconds, all that could be heard was Brielle’s seductive vocals as I felt the girls shuffle around me. One, squatted between my legs. I didn’t panic, counting down the seconds until this was over. I’d had enough now. It was fun. Now I could go back to my seat and go home.

The lights hit bright again when Brielle belted out crazy lyrics that had my buzz dying by the word. It was her between my legs while clutching my kneecap with one hand. Too close for a woman who wasn’t mine. It didn’t matter that she was once familiar with my body: it no longer responded to her. It belonged to someone else. Happily.

“
I loved you stron
g…
I loved you deep.

But I could never be the girl you wanted to keep
.”

The arena went wild and suddenly I felt that familiar sense of betrayal from the world, most of whom I’d never met.

“
I asked you whe
n…
oh, baby when?

When will you love me!

You drew a box, one that was square.

You told me to try to get in there.

I shrunk myself for year
s…
drowning in my tears
.”

The
n…
very dramatically and seductively, Brielle turned to face me with misted eyes. Speaking directly to
me
.

“
How much longer will you not care?

Oh, babeeeeee
e…
Purple hearts don’t fit in squares!
”

The dramatic beat dropped and transitioned into a heavy metal-like flow, and Brielle dropped to her knees, now using both hands to balance herself between my thighs while shaking her ass in the air behind me. Her neck swung and dipped fluidly, somber like. She was acting, I knew, but was too good at it. All I could think of was that night I came home to Jade blasting me for keeping her in the dark about my conviction and jail time and how she said she felt like the lyrics to Brielle’s song. No, I didn’t trust her back then, but I never meant to shrink anything inside of her. Didn’t think I could. Real talk: Jade intimidated me back then. She came on so strong, I couldn’t see anything noble about what she was offering.

In my tipsy state that was now coming down, I felt paranoid. Brielle finished the chorus of the song and went into the second verse. It was just as melancholy and convincing as the first, painting a colorful picture that scared the shit out of me, although I understood this was Brielle and not Jade.
How wrong was I about my wife?
The arena was turned up with shouts and whistles, deafening music, and blinding lights. But in all of that, all I could hear were questions about what my life could have been like—even after coming back to the league and being on this winning streak.

What if I’d missed out on the feeling of belonging I now felt as her man? Her husband.

Before I knew it, the track was done. As the crowd went up at the dramatic ending, Brielle stood inches from me with her head hung low, appearing lonely and in pain. That was my cue. I lifted to my feet. That simple act had them ringing their shouts to another level. I could hear the first few rows shouting.”

“
Kiss her!
”

“
Go get her, Trent!
”

“
Get our girl!
”

“
Awwwww!
”

All I could do was stare at her. All I saw was a poser, a woman totally different from the one people were vouching for.

“Do this for me please, Trent!” she begged me with raccoon eyes from her stained makeup.

“For you?” I asked with my shirt clutched in my fist. “I thought this was for me.”

Her eyes dropped. She was caught. “It can’t be for the both of us? She’s hot. I just want to have fun.”

“Do you,” I dismissed Brielle, and started past her.

I was good with leaving her to the girl for them to enjoy themselves. I’d participated in threesomes before, but never with an unknown party. Both females had been known bisexuals. I wasn’t with the fake-a-feel-good-fuck shit.

She caught my arm, squeezing as she pulled me back.

“We’re gonna do this without you and have fun,” she threatened.

“B, do you.” I gave her a final salute before taking off.

Now, the crowd was begging for some trace of intimacy from us. Brielle’s shoulders were vibrating, she was so caught up in her emotions. For a slight second, I saw a little girl, one misunderstood by the masses and got how miserable that must have been. For a flash, I saw my Jade, hanging onto another man, who didn’t mean her heart any good. Busters that she had no business giving her heart or body to because it belonged to me—even though she didn’t know me.

I walked over to Brielle and grabbed her into my arms. The crowd went bananas the moment she fell into me. She dropped the microphone, and clasped the wings of my back.

“I love you so much, Trent,” she shouted over tears. “I’ll do anything.”

All of a sudden?

“You loved the ride you took us on. I know love, B. I got it. This ain’t nothing like what I have.”

The stage went black while the arena was still on ten, blasting their approval.

“I’m still in love with you. I want to do better.”

“You be blessed, Brielle. Go do you.”

I dropped my arms and stepped back. When I walked off the dark stage, I never looked back. It wasn’t until I saw JJ and Cole in the hall, just off the stage that reality slapped me in the face. JJ’s arm hung over Cole’s shoulder.

“Yo, you good? I’m out,” I was done with this night. This place.

Cole held her phone in her hand where they both looked up from. Both their eyes lit with some emotion that wasn’t good. The moment I opened my mouth to ask what it was about, the answer came.

Jade.

The damn internet moved faster than good sense nowadays.

The traffic leaving
The Garden
was unreal. The ride out of the city couldn’t be more torturous. I kept checking my phone…for what, I didn’t know. On the low, I needed some sign of her mind, her mood. Had she seen anything? I wondered how many blogs had sounded off with footage from the concert by now?

How the fuck could I be so stupid?

Part of me wanted to call Ezra, and the other half was too embarrassed by my actions to seek out advice.
Maybe I should stop by his crib first
. Ezra would always welcome me, although I never took advantage of his friendship.
Nah
.
His wife and baby are there now.
His life had changed to include others who didn’t have that connection to me. I couldn’t alarm them at this crazy hour. He was probably snuggled up with her, far from where my stupid ass just was. Ezra thought hours ahead, whereas my stupid ass only thought in the moment.

This was why I needed to push my schedule to get back to make Sunday services more often. When I wasn’t on the road, I’d attend church, but I’d noticed over the past few months, when I was off, I’d opt to spend time with Jade instead. Watching the service on television wasn’t the same as being in the sanctuary. I needed holiness. My life had been spinning out of control.

Tyheem hadn’t put the car in park by the time I jumped out and headed to the side door, fetching my keys from my pocket. The house was quiet as it should have been during this hour. My heart pounded out my fucking chest as I quickly kicked off my shoes. I had no idea what I was rushing to say, but I knew I needed to come up with something to keep this together. Yeah, I needed holiness because I was prepared to lie if necessary.

Damn
…

That wouldn’t work. Videos don’t lie.