Authors: Renee Daniel Flagler
Chapter 42
Blue
Blue drove her rented Sedan around her former Atlanta neighborhood, reminiscing over more tranquil times. She had loved living there when Jay played for the local team. Her eyes misted.
“No more tears. That life is over,” she said aloud.
Blue hung a quick left to exit the complex, when Jay and Mia whizzed past her in Mia’s car. It was obvious
they hadn’t spotted her in the rental. She pulled the car over to the side of the two-lane road. She hadn’t confronted Mia since she'd arrived in Atlanta a few days ago. There was so much to say, but now she wasn’t up to dealing with the confrontation alone. The odds were surely against her with Mia and Jay together.
She hit her turn signal and pulled back onto the road in the opposite direction of the complex. She would have her day with Mia soon. As she mulled over the events of the past few months, her eyes misted over again. This time, she didn’t try to stop the tears. Some of the anger and bitterness had subsided, but that burning question nagged at her conscience.
Why would Mia do this to me?
Blue drove without considering her destination until she reached the hotel. She checked her face in the rear view mirror and pulled herself together before going up to the room. Waiting there was another relationship falling apart at the seams. She’d searched her mind for the right tools to mend this one before it withered into nothing more than irreparable scraps.
Night had fallen, and Blue hoped Gavin was in the room. Since the confrontation with Jay, Gavin spent most of his time out eating and hanging with clients—or so he said.
A sultry melody glided through the doorframe as she approached their room. Pain resonated note by note as the weighted melody writhed through the air. The feelings transmitted from an iPod somehow filled the space, making the air thick. A melancholy tonic note ended the piece, leaving a lingering sliver of sadness in the atmosphere. Blue had to take a deep breath before pushing the door open. The manner of the room seemed dark and heavy.
Gavin sat slack in the living room chair with his head back, eyes shut, and a near empty glass dangling from his hand.
“Hey,
” she said, cutting through the tension.
“Hey,
” he replied, lifting his head slowly. She walked into the bedroom to put down her bag and keys, and then joined Gavin in the living area. Another sad song began to add its weight to the atmosphere. She lowered the volume on Gavin’s speakers. Her heart couldn’t take any more.
Gavin sat up.
“You eat yet?” she asked.
“No,” he said, looking at his watch.
“Neither did I. Come on, let me treat you,” she offered.
Gavin hesitated, then flipped his hands in the air. “Let’s go!”
Blue smiled. “And turn this music off. It’s depressing me.”
She
drove them to one of her favorite Italian spots, Magiano’s, at the Perimeter Mall. Their meal began with light conversation until the wine and food put them both at ease.
“I’m leaving in the morning,” he told her.
“Gavin! Why!” Blue asked. She was alarmed about being left in Atlanta without him. “We only have one more day. I just have a few more things to handle before I can leave.” She dropped her shoulders. “When did you change your flight?”
“Today,” he said, staring down at the pasta he pushed around on his plate.
Blue put her fork down and sat back in her chair.
“I’ve got to get back to work. I came to help you out, but you’re doing fine on your own. I need to get back to handle things in my office.”
“Gavin, believe me, things are not going as well as you think. The only reason I didn’t ask you to come with me yesterday is because I knew you were upset with me. I need you here.”
Gavin frowned.
“Please stay one more day,” Blue pleaded.
“I can’t,” he said, holding his hand up in finality.
Blue sighed and rested her head in her hands.
“My leaving early does not have to destroy our dinner. We were finally beginning to enjoy each other’s company again.”
“You’re right. Let’s have a nice dinner. I’ll try to convince you to change your flight on the way back to the hotel.”
Gavin laughed, and the conversation flowed more easily for the rest of the meal. By the time they entered the room, they were laughing loudly, buzzed from the wine. When the banter reached a lull, he walked to the closet and pulled out his suitcase.
“Let me get my bags together.” Uneasiness took hold of the space between them again. “I’m on the early flight, and I have to get this rental back before I board my flight.”
Blue didn’t respond right away. Her shoulders hung. The lighter feelings from earlier were now dashed.
“Gavin…”
He turned around.
Blue shut her eyes and nodded her head. "Please," she continued anyway.
“I’m sorry,”
he said with a firmness that gave her pause.
Blue walked over to him, standing just inches away for a few moments, then hugged him tight. He wrapped his arms around Blue’s body. She lifted her face and their lips met. Blue melted into Gavin. He received her and then pulled away.
She stood there looking puzzled, while Gavin gently moved her hands from around him, turned away, and began tending to his luggage.
“Okay,
” she said with her hands up in surrender. “Get home safe.” She dropped her hands and backed away. “Call me when you land,” she added, before slamming the door to the room, severing the space between them.
Inside the room, Blue sat on the side of the bed, pulled out her cell phone, and dialed a number.
They answered on the first ring.
“Hey, girl.”
“Guess where I am?” Blue teased.
“Woman, don’t tell me you’re in Atlanta!” Peyton said.
“Yes, I am!” Blue replied, trying to mask the disappointment in her voice.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were coming? I would have rolled out the old red carpet. Welcome mats just aren’t fancy enough for the likes of us,” Peyton said and giggled.
“It’s a quick trip. But, I need to see you while I’m here. There’s something I want to do, and you’re the perfect person to help me do it. Are you in?”
“Oh, this sounds scandalous!” Peyton giggled some more.
“That it is, girl. That it is!” Blue said.
“Well, count me in,” Peyton replied in her sugary Southern twang and then roared with laughter.
Chapter
43
Mia
Mia woke up next to Jay and smiled. She placed her hand on her bare stomach and giggled. She had Jay right where she wanted him.
“Jay,” she crooned. “Wake up, babe.”
He grunted.
“Jay,” she sang. “Wake up,” she continued on the same note.
He grunted again.
Mia rolled him over onto his back, and Jay settled into the new position without opening his eyes. She climbed on top of him, licking his ears and whispering. When she started rubbing him, his body began to respond. A smile crept across his sleepy face. Mia continued moving against him until warmth emanated between them. Jay’s hands found her hips and guided her, pulling her closer to him. He released himself from the confines of his boxers and pushed against her before entering. Mia slowly rocked back and forth on top of him.
Jay squeezed her hips into him and hastened the tempo. Lifting his torso, he drove deeper into Mia, intensifying the moment. With one hand, he continued guiding her hips, and with the other, he grabbed her breast and squeezed her nipple. The pain caused Mia to wince, which sent shivers down her spine.
Mia bit her lip to keep from being completely consumed by the pleasure Jay prompted. His even pounding turned into swift ramming, causing her to bounce high over him.
Jay lifted her off of him, positioned her on all fours, and took her from the back. Mia always enjoyed his rough rides. The intense mixture of pain and pleasure was sensually staggering.
“Oh…my…Jay! Oh! I’m…going to…” She completed her sentence with a howl as her peak rippled through her body, leaving her drained.
Jay continued pounding as her juices washed over him. Her walls clenched from the currents that had yet to release their hold on her body. Jay reached the edge and grunted repeatedly as his body writhed during the peak of pleasure until he exploded. Moments later, both of them were lying on their backs with sweat dotting their skin. Lazily, they floated back to reality. Mia rolled on her side and watched as the last few quivers rippled through Jay’s core. She loved watching his climax claim control of his body.
“See? If we find a place and move in together, you can have this anytime you want.”
Jay opened his eyes. All quaking stopped. He flung his feet over the side of the bed and dragged himself to the master bath.
“Jay!” Mia climbed out of bed, fast on his heels.
He tried to close the door on her, but she caught it before it hit the frame. She stepped in as he emptied his bladder.
“Jay, I’m serious. Do you think I’m doing all of this to help you for nothing? You know we’re perfect for one another. By the time we’re done, you’ll have all the money you need. The baby will be well taken care of.”
Jay shook off the last of the urine, washed his hands, and walked past Mia to the bedroom.
“What’s the problem?” Mia shrugged. “Blue? She doesn’t even want you.”
She couldn’t understand how Blue continued to be a barrier between them. Mia followed Jay around the room, lecturing at his back.
“Who else is going to deal with you? Admit it, baby. I’m the one. It takes a woman like me to be able to handle a man like you,” she said and squeezed his behind.
Jay smiled and climbed back into bed. Mia slid under the covers next to him.
“Hey, have you heard back from the lawyer about what we…you asked for in the divorce?” she asked, fingering his chest. “Hollywood husbands do this kind of thing all the time.”
“I don’t know about that,” Jay said.
“Oh, please. What are you worried about? Trust me. This guy is good at what he does.”
“Mia, she saw the place empty when she came over here the other day. She accused me of trying to sell the place from under her.”
“Well, what did you say?” Mia sat straight up in the bed.
“I didn’t confirm or deny anything. But, I wouldn’t underestimate Blue if I were you. She acts like she’s got a little fight in her now.”
“I’m not worried about Blue.” Mia huffed. “I see I’m going to have to put some fire under Carol’s ass. We need to get this place sold—fast!”
“We need to be careful.”
“Whatever.” She rolled her eyes at him. “Whose side are you on anyway? Blue’s innocent little behind doesn’t have the kind of legal connections that I have. I can make almost anything go my way. Stick with me and you’ll be a well-kept man in more ways than one.”
Chapter
44
Blue
Blue pressed the bell to Peyton’s grand home located in a beautiful secluded section of Ashford-Dunwoody. She could smell the essence of the lake just behind the house as she'd approached the door. The doorbell chimed a jingle throughout the house. Within seconds, Peyton’s small frame appeared in a silhouette on the other side of the door. She peeked through the glass
and smiled.
“Hey, girlfriend!” Peyton pulled Blue into an endearing embrace.
“Hey, Peyton!” Blue smiled. She always enjoyed hearing Peyton’s drawl.
“Girl, I’m so excited. I couldn’t wait for you to get here. Come on in.” Peyton ushered Blue the rest of the way in and pushed the door closed behind her.
It had been a long time since Blue had visited Peyton. The home appeared grander than she remembered. Their heels echoed as they walked through the massive vestibule where several pieces of vibrant artwork lined the walls. They passed a living room, a sitting room with a fireplace, the study, and an elegantly set formal dining room on their way to the kitchen, which was positioned at the back of the house. Each area was cleanly designed with an Asian-inspired flair. An elegant display of sushi and wine decorated the massive kitchen island.
“I know you love sushi, girl. So, I ordered some and pulled out a few bottles of wine from our stash in the cellar. You like white, right? No pun intended.” Peyton giggled.
“Right!”
“Let’s eat first, and then we’ll get down to business. The plates are on the counter. Come on and pull up a stool.”
They savored the robust tastes of the Asian delicacies. Peyton turned red after placing a little too much wasabi on her spicy tuna roll.
“Oh my goodness!” She sniffed. “That thing opened my sinuses right up!”
They laughed as Peyton gulped down a half glass of wine in an attempt to douse the fire burning her palate. By the time they were finished, only scraps remained on each plate and one bottle of wine was completely empty.
“Are you ready?” Peyton asked rhetorically while rubbing her hands together.
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Blue replied and took a deep breath.
Peyton hopped down from the stool, grabbed their glasses and a second bottle of wine, and then started down the hall.
“Follow me. I have everything set up on the computer in the study.”
Once they were in the study, Peyton positioned herself behind a beautifully crafted cherry wood desk and began clicking keys on the computer. Blue pulled up a chair beside her.
“So here’s what the guy did. I took all of the DVDs you sent me and told him we wanted a portion of each one placed on a single DVD. He viewed all the footage and strung together what he thought was the best parts into one DVD. Also, he put together some shorter clips of the video on a second DVD.”
“Did you look at this yet?”
“Honey, I was too scared to look at this without you. It’s probably a bit much, don’t you think?” Peyton admitted.
“I know,” Blue agreed.
“Okay. So here goes,” Peyton said. She took a deep breath and clicked the triangle on the screen, setting the home movie into action. Then she looked at Blue with lifted brows.
Moments later, the sound of Mia’s moans engulfed the room. Peyton fumbled with the mouse to lower the volume. Mia appeared on screen naked and
engaged in various sexual positions with several well-known married athletes. Occasionally, Mia would steal glances at the camera with a naughty smirk, full-blown wicked smile, or a wink.
Peyton and Blue kept looking at each other with gaping mouths and wide eyes.
“Okay!” Blue said, shielding her face from the computer screen with her hand. “I’ve seen enough.”
“I’m sure that dude had an interesting time working on this DVD,” Peyton commented.
“Peyton, I can’t thank you enough for your help with this,” Blue said, hugging her.
“It was not a problem at all. I was happy to help. You know how I feel about that woman. Oh! Did I just call her a woman? Shame on me.” They laughed together.
Peyton pulled the DVD out of the machine and handed everything to Blue.
“So what are you going to do with all of this?” Peyton asked.
“Right now, I’m just going to hold on to these until the time is right.”
“That’s some powerful footage. A lot of marriages will be in disrepair because of that DVD.”
“I know.” Blue thought for a moment about her own ruined marriage. She didn’t want to be the catalyst for the other wives. “I plan to be careful how I use it.”
The girls were silent for a moment as Blue reflected on what she had
just seen.
“Well, Peyton, I have to go. I need to get ready for my flight out in the morning.”
“Okay, honey. Keep me posted, and let me know if you need any more of my help,” Peyton offered.
“Thanks!” Blue leaned over and gave her girlfriend a friendly kiss on the cheek and another hug.
Peyton walked Blue out. After they reached the car and said their final goodbyes, Blue jumped in the car, but Peyton stood silent. Blue hoped Peyton wouldn’t ask.
“Blue?”
“Yes, Peyton?”
Peyton was silent at first, but Blue knew the question behind her lips. She hoped Peyton would lose the nerve to ask.
“Please be honest with me.”
Blue held her breath.
“Was Ken on any of those DVDs?”
Blue’s heart sank, and she looked at Peyton. Distress glazed her eyes.
“Just tell me, Blue. Was he on there or not?”
Blue dropped her head. “I’m sorry.” She looked back up at Peyton. “Yes…he was.”
Peyton closed her eyes and gasped, then blinked rapidly. Blue had purposely held that particular DVD back, along with a few others. She’d hoped Peyton wouldn’t ask about Ken being in the videos. It hurt to tell her yes, but she couldn’t lie. Blue knew Peyton’s pain personally.
“I knew it.” Her eyes glistened. “I just needed confirmation. Thank you for being honest with me.” Peyton blinked again, starting the tears strolling down her pink cheeks. “Call me when you touch down so I know you got home safely, okay?” Peyton spun around and ran into the house.
Right then, Blue knew the first thing she was going to do with the DVD once she got home.