Raging Blue (20 page)

Chapter
45

Gavin

The moment he touched down, Gavin got right back into the swing of things, which had included calling Lisa and asking her to meet him for dinner. He was surprised when she agreed. Now he waited on her arrival at his favorite African restaurant in Midtown. He relished the exquisite flavors of the Ivory Coast-inspired cuisine and signature cocktails. Gavin had just ordered his second snifter of scotch when she walked in. She wasn’t as beautiful as Blue, but she was pretty enough.

“How are you doing?” He stood to greet her with a friendly hug.

“Fine, and how are you?” Lisa asked, her tone flat.

“Busy. Life’s been a little crazy,” Gavin said, trying to initiate comfortable small talk.

“Interesting,” Lisa said in a tone absent of any indication.

“Shall we eat?” He summoned the hostess, who showed the couple to their table.

The dimly-lit ethnically designed décor was the perfect setting for how Gavin intended to end the evening.

As soon as the waiter left to get their drinks, Lisa didn’t waste time getting to the point. “Why did you invite me to dinner?”

“First of all, let me apologize. I got dragged into the middle of a lot of drama with some very close friends. But now, my focus is back, and I’d like to know if there’s a way we can start over again.”

Lisa smiled, showing her first sign of giving in. “I didn’t like being pushed aside. I was offended by the way you treated me, because I thought we had a solid friendship. Maybe even something that could have turned into something bigger.”

“Maybe we do. How about we start all over again
, take it slow, and see what comes?” Gavin said, trying to gauge her emotions.

“I don’t know. I think you have some making up to do,” she replied as a coy smile spread across her lips.

“I can work with that.” Gavin felt his own lips curl into a satisfied smile. This was a start. “So I have some making up to do, huh?”

Blue’s number came up on Gavin’s phone, but he ignored the call and silenced his ringer. He hadn’t answered any of her calls since he'd returned from Atlanta and tried not to feel bad about it. His heart couldn’t shake the lingering attachment they'd created when they'd slept together. Gavin still felt her presence during late hours when he was alone.

After dinner, Gavin and Lisa walked around Rockefeller Center holding hands until he escorted her home to Harlem. The taxi waited as they stood outside the door exchanging goodbyes.

“Do you want to come in?” she asked.

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea when we’re trying to start over. Technically, this would be our first date,” Gavin joked, secretly hoping she would buy his attempt at sincerity. In reality, he'd wanted to bed her from the moment he saw her toned legs extending from the short sexy dress she wore.

“That would be right. Well, what about if we just picked up where we left off? Would you come in then?” she asked with a sly smile.

“That would mean this isn’t our first date, and that opens the door for a lot of possibilities,” Gavin said, licking his lips.

“What kind of possibilities?” she nudged.

“I could possibly…show you how much I missed you,” Gavin said, closing the space between them. He stood dangerously close and then leaned in a hair’s width from her face.

“Yeah, maybe you could…possibly…start making things up to me.” She lifted her chin, and her lips brushed his firm chin. She pulled her bottom lip in and ran her tongue across it, cooling the heat generated from his touch.

“That’s a possibility.” Gavin’s voice lowered and his manhood began to respond.

Twin smiles spread across their faces. Gavin paid the taxi, and accompanied Lisa inside. Before Lisa could flick the lights on, they were all over each other.

“How am I doing so far?” Gavin asked, lust weighing down his breath.

“So far, so good,” she said between kisses.

Gavin pulled her dress over her head as she tugged at his belt buckle. Seconds later, they were naked, kissing their way to the couch. He lifted her into his arms and carried her. Laying her down gently, he reacquainted himself with her body, touching her in some places that made her giggle and others that caused her to moan.

Lisa massaged him to sturdy lengths and then guided him inside.

Gavin felt her body tense as he entered her. It didn’t take long for either of them to enter that place of ecstasy, filling the room with purrs of delight.

Afterwards, Lisa got up to get a glass of water. When she returned, Gavin was still perched in the same spot on the couch.

“How was that for a start?”

“It was a start. Now let’s see how you plan to finish,” she teased.

Lisa straddled him and fed him the water from her glass.

Chapter
46

Mia

“Why don’t you want me to come with you, Jay? I don’t have to join you in court, but I could be there for you. Make sure
everything goes as planned. I know how to work with Scott. I’ve sent him plenty of clients over the years. He’ll do anything for me.”

Mia had been trying to nudge Jay into allowing her to accompany him back to New York for the past few days.

“I should be there,” she added, and sat wide-legged on the bed, allowing her protruding belly to rest between her legs.

Blue and Jay were scheduled
to meet with their lawyers about their impending divorce. After weeks of staying in his home, Mia finally had Jay where she wanted him, and refused to let an unescorted trip to New York cause her efforts to become undone. Now at the end of her second trimester, her pregnancy was obvious. She wanted Blue to see her. Carrying Jay’s baby gave her an edge. If she didn’t have Jay’s complete heart and mind, at least she shared something with him that Blue couldn’t.

Blue seemed to have garnered some kind of hold on Jay despite their distance. It was evident in the
softening of his eyes whenever her name came up lately. Oddly, he acted like he cared all of a sudden. It would take work to maintain the bit of leverage Mia had gained thus far. Maybe the pregnancy hormones were making her sensitive to the ebb and flow of Jay’s emotions. Either way, she needed to protect her interests at all costs.

Jay stared at her as if he didn’t like the way that sounded. “What kind of relationship do you have with this lawyer guy?” he asked while stuffing unfolded clothes into an overnight bag. His question brought Mia back to the here and now.

“Nothing like that, Jay.” She liked the fact that Jay appeared to be jealous. “He’s appreciative of all the business I’ve given him over the years. I’ve done a few favors for him, so he owes me. That’s all. He’ll do whatever’s necessary to make a situation work in my best interest.
And
he’s a great attorney.” Mia pouted. “I want to be there, though,” she said, crossing her arms.

“Mia, it’s not a good idea. Stay here in Atlanta. I’ll see you when I get back next week.”

“Next week!” Mia rose to her feet, holding the lower portion of her belly. “Your appointment is tomorrow. Why do you have to stay for the remainder of the week?”

“I have other business to take care of. I still officially live in New York, remember?”

“Ugh! I have my doctor’s appointment on Friday and I wanted you to come with me,” she told him, and began pacing.

“Why?”

Mia stopped in her tracks and reared her head back. “What do you mean why?”

She hated that he wasn’t the least bit enthused about their baby. His suspicions pained her. She knew this baby was his—at least she hoped.

Jay huffed. “Mia, Let’s not forget
you’re
the one who’s excited about this baby. I never wanted children.” He turned back and said, “I don’t even know if this kid is mine.”

“If!” she shouted.

“Yes.
If
…this kid is mine, I’ll do what I have to do to take care of it. But, don’t look for me to run around like the excited daddy, holding on for every detail about the new baby’s arrival.”

Jay’s words felt like daggers sliding through
Mia’s skin. The fact that he had the ability to penetrate through to her heart made her uncomfortable, but she still wanted him.

“No problem. I’ll never ask your selfish ass to come to an appointment with me again,” she sulked.

Jay finished packing his bags and trotted down the steps. Mia followed fast on his heels. She lamented over the fact that he had to go to New York. She had gotten used to playing house with him. Glued to his heels, she trailed him around the house pouting.

“Why are you acting like this?” Jay stopped short, causing Mia to stumble to a halt behind him.

“Whatever, Jay. Have a nice trip!” She waved him off and walked away.

“Are you going to be here to give me some when I get back?” Jay asked.

Mia rolled her eyes and held her tongue for a beat. “Give you some what?” she finally asked, already knowing what he was referring to.

Jay smiled, looked between her thighs, and raised a brow.

“Goodbye, Jay,” Mia said, and stomped back up the stairs.

When she was sure Jay was gone, she let the tears fall. He didn’t really love her, but she hoped the baby would change things. Mia sat in the center of the same bed she’d made love to him in and cried. Then she pulled herself together and dialed Carol’s number, hoping to hear some good news about the sale of the house. Again, her call went unanswered. So, she left another message.

“Hi, Carol. This is Mrs. Holiday. I’m just calling to see about the house. I haven’t heard anything lately and wanted to know how things were going. Please call me at your earliest convenience.”

Shortly after Mia put the phone down, it rang. Assuming it was the real estate agent, she answered without checking the caller ID.

“Finally, you answered my call.” The wonder in Princeton’s tone was evident.

Mia picked up on Princeton’s voice and hung up. The phone buzzed with a text message from Princeton.
Just want 2 talk 2 u.

No!
She texted back.

Is this baby mine?

Not yours. Don’t worry. U don’t do babies, remember?

Still need to talk.

Lose my number!

Mia shut her phone off, crawled in the bed, and cried herself to sleep.

When she woke, the house was dim. Evening had arrived, and her stomach growled. After a long refreshing shower, Mia jumped in the car and headed downtown to fill her belly at one of her favorite fine dining establishments.

The soul food menu enticed her. She didn’t let her hostess leave the table without first pointing out her waitress. Mia ordered several selections from the list of appetizers as succulent aromas met her nostrils, escalating her hunger. Just as she began to indulge, a shadow loomed over her table. Mia looked up and froze with fear.

“You don’t look happy to see me,” Princeton said. “Dining alone? Where’s your boy, Jay?”

“What do you want?” Mia asked, trying to mask trepidation as annoyance.

Princeton slid the chair back and sat across from Mia at her table.

“I don’t remember inviting you to sit down,” she snapped.

“The chair was free,” Princeton responded, donning a lopsided grin.

Mia sucked her teeth.

“Listen. We need to talk,” he said.

“No, we don’t. I told you the baby isn’t yours.” Mia held her firmness, hoping Princeton couldn’t detect how frightened she really was.

“Not about the baby…about us,” he said.

“There’s no
us
to talk about.” Mia rolled her eyes again. Her fear was waning, losing its power to irritation.

Princeton banged the table with his fist. The dishes on the table clinked and the water glass tipped over, spilling all over the table, Mia, and the floor. She flinched and her stomach felt weak, threatening to protest the little bit of food she’d just taken in. Princeton leaned over the table and spoke in a low tone.

“You may think you’re done with me, but I’m not done with you. How do you suppose you’re going to pay me back for all the things you charged on my card that day? The least you could do is thank me,” he said, and snarled.

Mia rolled her eyes and turned away, her foot tapping nervously. She was scared again.

Princeton sat back in his chair. “Now, I think it’s only fair that you go out to dinner with me one last time. I won’t hurt you…if you don’t make me. Ha!”

Mia jumped when Princeton let out his version of a cynical laugh.

“Really. No need to be afraid. Just give me my time. I’m in town until Friday,” he said as he stood. “Just let me know what night works best for you.” He then disappeared into the crowd.

Mia’s appetite vanished. She asked for a takeout plate, dropped enough money on the table to cover her meal and a hefty tip, and left. Men usually didn’t intimidate her, but this one did. In fact, Princeton downright frightened her. The vulnerability angered her, but Mia would find a way to turn the tables.