Raging Blue (5 page)

Chapter
8

Mia

Mia cried until she could barely breathe and her hazel eyes were red and swollen. Blue was never supposed to find out about the baby. She looked down at the cordless phone still in her hand and tossed it across the room. With a loud bang, it separated from its back. The batteries fell out and rolled under the bed. She didn’t even bother to pick them up.

Mia closed her eyes and tried to imagine what Blue would say to her once they were face-to-face. Then she tried to put together words that would possibly make Blue understand how this whole situation came to be. She wouldn’t expect immediate forgiveness, but maybe eventually, they could be friends again.

Her mind raced as she cried. The walls felt like they were closing in on her. Mia ran downstairs to the living room for more open space. She plopped down on her pink loveseat, curled her body up like a ball, and covered herself with one of her chenille throws.
Sleeping with Jay was something that just happened. I never intended for it to go on as long as it did.

Restless, Mia stood up from the loveseat and then sat back down. She had forgotten why she stood up. The words
I’ve heard enough
rang out in her mind. It’s the last thing Blue had said before hanging up the phone when she called to tell Jay that she was having his baby. She heard Blue’s voice again as clearly as if she was in the room.

Mia went into the kitchen to pour a glass of wine. The semisweet mixture turned sour in her mouth, and she launched the glass against the wall, shattering it to pieces. Shards of glass sparkled across the floor and counter. Blood red stripes scaled the maple cabinets. Her defiance had gotten the best of her.

After a while, Mia wiped her face with her hands. She hated rejection. That was one of the main reasons she dealt with married men. Having wives and children, they never really belonged to her, so she never had to worry about abandonment.

Jay’s reaction was harsh and had caught her by surprise. She
hadn't expected him to be excited, but she also hadn’t anticipated that he’d be so vile. Even though she didn’t love Jay, his words had cut deep. Then there was the guilt, which ate at her conscience.

The idea of Jay speaking to her in such a nasty way made Mia livid. She never let anyone disrespect her, especially a man. She wanted the baby to belong to one of the other husbands, not the spouse of her best friend. She'd tried to protect Jay. However, she couldn’t guarantee the proof these men sought, so she'd decided to go ahead and tell Jay the news. At least he was an athlete with money.

Now the truth was out, and Mia was dejected and culpable without a willing father for her unborn child. Blue was sure to write her off as a friend forever. Blue didn’t necessarily deserve to go through this, but Jay had it coming because he'd tried to deny their child.

She pushed the tears from her cheeks and began putting together the pieces to her plan. With Jay denying the baby, she’d have a fight on her hands. Finding someone to fill in as her baby’s caretaker and serving as a backup father was a top priority.

Mia picked up her cell phone and thumbed through her contacts. Princeton Manning, an NFL star player, had been trying his best to woo her. Recently, he’d made frequent trips to Atlanta and had asked Mia out several times. She'd always made an excuse since she was working on securing her baby’s financial paternity. Now with Trent out of the way and Jay acting out, she could make time for Princeton. His new multi-million dollar contract was making headlines across the country.

Mia traipsed up to her room, taking two steps at a time. She grabbed her laptop and started her research by Googling all of the recent articles about Princeton’s new contract. Sports magazines and websites reported his eight-year, 103 million dollar deal as one of the ten highest in football history. She came across a picture of him with his wife and three kids. Mia smiled at the cozy image of the happy family. The interviewer congratulated them on their seven years of marriage.

“He could be the one,” she said.

When the
men were married longer, they did more to protect precious information from getting back to their wives. She smiled again, thinking of the leverage she could gain.

Mia dropped her robe on the edge of the bed and stepped to the full-length mirror resting against the bedroom wall. Looking over her toned body, she smiled, feeling sexy again. Full of herself, she sauntered over to her phone, dialed his number, and lay across the bed.

“Hello!” his low voice bellowed.

“How’ve you been?” Mia crooned.

“Hold on,” he said and then she heard silence. After a few seconds, he returned to the phone. “Mia?” he asked with a smile in his voice.

She heard an echo in the background, indicating he had moved to covert quarters.

“So you know my voice. I’m impressed,” she said, tracing circles on the duvet with her fingers.

“What’s up, baby? Now that you've finally called me, are you going to let me take you out?”

With a sultry chuckle, Mia replied, “I’ve been thinking about it.”

“Well, I’ll be in the A.T.L. for a few days looking at a couple of places. I’m working on a few things and want to get a pad there. Free up some time. I’ll make it worth your while.”

Mia was intrigued and simultaneously taken aback at his directive. “I’ll have to check my calendar.”

“I’m coming to town, baby. That’s a reason to clear your calendar,” he boasted.

Mia rolled her eyes. “We’ll see about that. I have to run. Give me a call when you get to town.”

“Will do!”

“Okay.” Mia released a sweet giggle. “See you then.”

“For sure, baby girl. You won’t be disappointed.”

“Neither will you,” she said, and hung up before he could respond.

Chapter 9

Blue

Blue woke with a start as the pilot announced their descent into Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. Her first-class ticket was a total waste since she’d slept the entire flight. She stretched her back and then twisted her neck to remove the kinks.

After taking a few days to absorb the shock of Mia’s pregnancy, Blue was now anxious to face her. As promised, the rental car she'd reserved was waiting. Blue signed the papers, jumped in, and headed for I-85, toward her townhome in Buckhead. The closer she got to the house, the more excited she became.

Blue parked her rented Chrysler Sebring down the block and walked
up to her house. The darkness of the south coated the streets like molasses. Blue was disappointed when she approached the house and saw it appeared to be empty. She wondered if Mia had relocated after her secret got out. A single light shone from the first floor bathroom.

Carefully, Blue entered and took a seat in the dark living room. Minutes passed before she realized the bathroom was also empty. She surveyed the house through the shadows. She didn’t want to alert Mia to her presence, so she tipped to the garage, found a flashlight, and then tipped upstairs. The bedroom was in disarray. It looked like Mia had left in a rush.

Blue stepped into the large master bathroom and looked around. Hair products and a curling iron wire were strewn across the vanity top. Mia’s fluffy pink robe hung lazily across the glass shower door. Blue opened the medicine cabinet and then ran back to the bedroom to check the drawers. The bottom drawer held one of Jay’s jerseys and a few pieces of underclothes. A pair of sneakers from one of his short-lived endorsements sat in the back of the walk-in closet.

Seeing Jay’s belongings in the townhouse made Blue’s knees weak. She continued searching the bedroom. Near the edge of the bed she noticed a half opened storage box decorated with fancy shoes and tubes of lipstick. She pushed the top aside and peeked in. Fluffy white handcuffs, sex toys, and DVDs were all inside the box. The writing on the DVDs piqued Blue’s curiosity. Initials were scribbled on each one.
She continued searching through the box, paying close attention to the labels until she found one with the letters J and M. Blue snatched that DVD, along with another marked R.J., and tossed the others to the side. She turned on the TV and slipped the DVD into the player.

Mia appeared on the TV donning only a pink boa, thong, and silver stilettos, dancing in front of Ray Johnson, Jay’s former teammate in Atlanta.
Fast-forwarding the video, it jumped to a scene where Mia was grinding on top of Ray. Blue was shocked. Ray was married, and Mia knew his wife well. They’d hung out together a number of times. She stopped the DVD and stared at the other one in her hand. The one marked with her husband’s initials. She turned back to the box and looked through the other initials. From what she could figure out, all of them were married. Now Blue knew how Mia lived so well.

She took a deep breath and slipped in the DVD with her husband’s initials. Just as she expected, there was Mia on top of Jay. After a few seconds
, she tried to stop the DVD with her shaky hands. Instead of the screen going black, it paused with Mia staring directly into the camera. Blue walked to the TV and slammed the remote against it, cracking the screen.

Her heart slammed against her chest. She backed up to the wall, slid down to the floor, and then flung the remote across the room. The crash confirmed she'd made contact with something fragile, like a lamp or vase,
but she didn’t care. Burying her face in her hands, she cried.

The whining of the garage door opening jarred Blue awake. She’d fallen asleep on the floor. She ran to the window in time to see Mia pull up in a shiny new Infinity G convertible. Grabbing the DVDs, she raced downstairs and put them in her bag before Mia could get inside.
Then she hopped onto the granite island in the kitchen nearest to the entrance from the garage, crossed her legs, and waited patiently for Mia to enter.

“I’ll talk to you tomorrow, okay?” Blue heard Mia talking on her cell phone as she opened the door to the kitchen. Mia giggled as she removed her shoes. “Yes, he’s on his way. He should be here any minute, and I need to get ready for him. I’ll talk to you later.”

Mia continued chatting as she came into Blue’s sight. When she flicked on the kitchen light, her jaw dropped, as well as her purse and doggie bag. Blue delighted in Mia’s shock for a few moments and then jumped down from her perch.

“Hey, Mia. Surprise, surprise! You were right. You’ve got company,” Blue said, and mocked Mia’s giggle.

“Blue!”

“Yep, it’s me. Your
friend
,” Blue sang.

Mia reached out to Blue, but she jerked away. She scowled at Mia, and then smirked.

“I guess I can see how you would be at a loss for words. Don’t worry. I have a few words for you while you think of something insignificant to say. Oh, and I have a few more surprises for you, too.” Blue could hear Mia swallow. “I’ll give you about five minutes to go upstairs, grab some of your clothes, and get the hell out of
my
house before I call the police.” Blue spoke slowly as she fought a burning urge to wrap her fingers snugly around Mia’s neck.

“Please. Don’t do this, Blue.” Mia petitioned with her hands up.

“Why not!” Blue said, looking puzzled.

Mia took cautious steps in Blue’s direction. “I know you’re upset. I didn’t mean for this to happen.”

Blue scoffed at Mia’s insincerity.

“Well, you did it.” Blue looked down at Mia’s stomach. “Some friend,” she spat.

“I’m sorry,” Mia said, as a single tear trailed down her cheek.

“It’s too late for that. Get your sorry ass out of my house!”

Mia took a step towards her, but Blue raised her fist. Mia backed away and then stepped past Blue on her way upstairs. Blue sauntered to the bottom of the steps and listened to Mia as she dashed around gathering her belongings.

“Dammit, Blue!” Mia yelled from upstairs. “That TV was a gift!”

“You’ve got four minutes left,” Blue said. “Don’t bother looking for those little home movies of yours either. I’ve put them away in a safe place!”

When Mia ran halfway down the stairs, Blue challenged her with tight eyes, ready to fight. Mia stayed on the steps, spurting quick, short breaths. She glared down at Blue as her chest rose and fell.

“You’re taking this too far,” Mia said.

“
I’m
taking things too far?” Blue jabbed her finger in Mia’s direction. “Ha! I can’t believe you fixed your lips to say that!”

Blue was ready for battle, but the doorbell rang. She looked towards the door, and then turned back to Mia. "I guess that's your date. I wonder which wife he belongs to."

Chapter 10

Gavin

“I’m having company tonight, so I need for you to find somewhere to go,” Gavin said without looking directly at Jay, who had taken up residence in one of his spare rooms.

“Come on, man! Where am I supposed to go?”

Gavin shook his head. He was tired of Jay’s shiftlessness. Gavin wanted him out, but right now, he just
needed Jay to find someplace to go for a few hours while he entertained Lisa over a candlelit dinner.

“I’m sure you can find something to do. I want to be alone with my company,” Gavin told him.

In the days that had passed since Jay had moved in with Gavin, all niceties had vanished. They'd ceased being cordial to one another. Gavin’s frustration with Jay settled between them like a thick fog. Jay barely acknowledged him when he trudged into the house each day. He would leave for hours and return wide-eyed and frazzled. Gavin hoped some of his time spent outside was being used productively rather than just getting high.

Jay frowned, tossed the remote, and stood up. The room was littered with crusted food containers, empty liquor bottles, and clothing tossed across the furniture. Staleness hovered in the space, making the air foul and thick like a locker room after a laborious game. Even the cleaning lady refused to enter Jay’s room.

“I’d appreciate it if you cleaned up a little, too,” Gavin said, his lips twisted toward his nose.

“Whatever, man,” Jay responded, waving Gavin off as he grabbed his keys and pushed past him in the doorway.

Gavin bit his lip, and then looked sideways as Jay stomped to the kitchen and back with a glass in his hand. He took a deep breath and stood still, reeling in his anger.

“Have you started looking for a place yet?” Gavin yelled over his shoulder, already knowing the answer.

“No,” Jay tossed back as he grabbed a new bottle of scotch and poured half a glass.

Gavin shook his head and walked away, leaving Jay to his vice.

“Well, you have until Friday, remember?” Gavin said over his shoulder, wishing the very next day was Friday.

“I heard you. You don’t have to keep reminding me.”

Gavin walked back towards Jay’s room. “My company will be here in an hour,” he said in an attempt to rush Jay along.

Jay frowned, shook his head, and huffed before opening a duffle bag full of money to dump clothes on top. Gavin knit his brows.

“What’s up with all that money? I thought you said you were broke,” Gavin asked, feeling the heat of irritation rise again.

“Don’t worry. I’m going to pay you back for my bail. I told you that,” Jay said.

“I didn’t ask about that. What’s up with all that cash? Did you clean out your accounts?” Gavin threw question after question at Jay.

“You sure do have a lot of questions. I didn’t steal it, so don’t worry about it,” Jay stated, frustrated.

Gavin looked confused. “You’ve been walking around with all that money? What if something happens?”

“Does it matter? I have to take care of myself. I can’t wait for someone else to do it.” Jay drew in a long breath, then tossed in a pair of socks, zipped the bag, and flung it across his shoulder. He stopped in front of Gavin as he walked out of the room. “Just don’t worry about it,” Jay said and left.

As Gavin watched Jay leave, he wondered if he would see him again. A part of him wished he wouldn’t. He couldn’t help but wonder about the bag of money, hoping Jay didn’t get himself into too much trouble.

Gavin forced his thoughts back to the present and focused on getting the house ready for his date with Lisa. Looking at his watch, he realized he had less time than he thought. After grabbing a can of air freshener, Gavin misted Jay’s room with the pine-scented aerosol, even spraying the clothes and shoes he’d left behind. He then closed the door, hoping to trap the overpowering scent in the musty room.

He ordered an exquisite meal from a nearby restaurant and pulled a few bottles of wine from his custom cooler. By the time Lisa arrived, the penthouse was filled with a fragrant mix of exotic spices from Gavin’s favorite Indian restaurant. Soft, melodic tunes seeped from the speakers installed in the ceilings of every room. Several aromatic candles flickered under the dim lighting, cloaking the combined living/dining room with a romantic ambiance.

“Wow. It smells wonderful in here,” Lisa said as Gavin led her inside by her hand before bending down for a sweet peck on her plush lips.

He twirled her around like a ballerina, admiring the strapless number draped perfectly on her small but curvy frame. With their stark differences in height, Lisa’s stilettos didn’t seem to have much of an impact, but Gavin appreciated what they did for her toned legs and round behind.

“This is just the beginning. Maybe I’ll get lucky tonight,” he said, and flashed Lisa with two quick lifts of his brows.

Lisa rolled her eyes upwards, smiled, and shook her head. “You’re bad.”

“I know!” Gavin waved her over to the seat he'd reserved for her and pulled out her chair. “I bet you like it when I’m bad,” he whispered into her neck as she sat.

Gavin saw the glimpse of sultriness in Lisa’s eyes after his comment and looked forward to an eventful evening. He enjoyed impressing women in a confident, yet understated way, but reserved pulling out all the stops until he was completely certain she was a keeper. Things were looking up with Lisa, but there was still more to explore before Gavin would consider her on a more permanent level.

After dinner, Gavin served Lisa dessert on the moonlit patio. Barefoot, they carried a bottle of Merlot with them. The night air caressed their skin with a coolness that awakened an unruly desire in Gavin.
Lisa's smooth dulcet voice, the curvature of her thighs, the sway of her hips, and the floral scent that wafted from her supple auburn skin, all united to fuel his craving.

Gavin licked his lips as he watched Lisa eat her cheesecake. He felt his
blood pulsing inside his pelvis. He drank her in as she sauntered toward the railing, tilting her long neck back to gaze at the speckled sky.

He drew close to her, his body moving as if it were compelled. Wrapping his arms around her from behind, his manhood rose to the occasion, pressing against the small of her back. He leaned over and kissed her bare shoulders, tasting the salted
heat as his lips met the inset of her neck, and she turned in to him.

Before she could protest, Gavin covered his mouth with hers. Lisa rose on her toes and met his fervor, pressing her body into his. Lifting her into his arms, he carried her across the starlit patio with her legs wrapped around his back. Their lips never parted. He laid her across the picnic table
, then paused to admire her for a moment. The aching in her eyes summoned him closer. She grabbed his shirt, pulled him in, and locked him into another heated kiss as their hands explored each other’s bodies.

The fire between them rose quickly. Lisa began carefully unbuttoning his shirt before she resorted to yanking it, expelling his buttons into the air with a snap. Gavin unzipped her dress and tugged on it, freeing her bouncy breasts. He sheltered them with his hands, twisting her nipples between his thumb and forefinger before teasing them with his tongue. Lisa’s body wrenched, and simultaneously, as if their needs met at their minds, they reached for each other’s core. Their bodies entangled with such intensity
, it took no time at all to reach their mutual peak.

They allowed their bodies to cool before taking it slower the second time around.
Stretching their naked bodies across one of Gavin’s lounge chairs, the cool of the night lulled them into a pleasant sleep like a mother’s lullaby.