Snapped (20 page)

Toya could tell that Camille was trying to convince herself that her life was fine the way it was. But she knew the truth. “Those things don’t make you happy. They keep you
distracted so that you don’t realize how unhappy you really are.”

Camille thought about what Toya had said and disagreed completely. To Camille, nothing in the world was better than being married. “I love my husband, Toya. I know Frankie’s good traits and his bad ones. I know who I’m going to bed with at night and who I’m waking up to in the morning. I don’t have to wonder about anything. I already know who I’ve got and what he’s about and I don’t miss the dating scene at all!” Camille looked at each of her friends sincerely. “I worry about you out there living the single life. There’s all kinds of shit out there. STDs, down-low men . . . you never know what you’re gonna get. It’s like playing Russian roulette. I swear, I’m so glad that I’m married.”

Toya scrunched up her lips in disbelief. “Please! You ain’t fooling nobody with that shit.”

Camille laughed. “I’m not trying to fool anybody. I’m happy with Frankie.”

Toya waved her hand and said, “You’re only happy ’cuz you’ve convinced yourself that your life is some fairy tale. You’re one of those women who believe that you can’t be happy without a man. You like being able to say ‘my husband,’ as if that makes you sound more accomplished or something.” Toya laughed as if it were a ridiculous notion. “Being happy that you’re a wife doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re happy with Frankie. In fact, you hardly ever get to
see
Frankie because he’s always out there grinding. Am I right?”

Camille was frowning. “Yeah, but—”

“You hardly see the man. So it’s not about you being so happy with him. It’s about you being happy with the thought of being married.”

Camille stared back at Toya and shook her head. “You’re wrong.”

“Whatever.” Toya gulped down the rest of her drink and signaled for another one. She knew that she had hit a nerve with Camille. But Toya didn’t care. She hated Camille’s stance on marriage. Toya was well aware that everything wasn’t as sunny in the Bingham household as Camille made it out to be. Toya knew all about Frankie’s close relationship with Gillian. Frankie’s long hours away from home, his frequent “business trips,” the mysterious charges for dinners for two on his credit card statement; Camille had shared it all with Toya. So it made her feel almost sick to her stomach to hear Camille talk so condescendingly to the single ladies.

Misa stayed quiet while Toya read her sister like a book. She, too, was sick of hearing Camille brag about her marriage, when everybody knew that it was anything but picture perfect.

When they’d all gotten another round of drinks, Dominique decided to break the ice. “Toya, why don’t we go shopping for your trip to Brazil. You know I have the inside track to all the hot new stylists. Let me set up some appointments and see if we can get you some free shit,” she suggested, smiling.

Toya’s face lit up. “If it’s free, it’s for me, bitch!” She beamed with joy and raised her glass tipsily. “A toast,” she said. “To being fuckin’ happy!”

They all cheered, clinked glasses, enjoyed their drinks, and shared Camille’s dessert. It was nights like these that solidified their friendship. Despite their differences, they had one another’s backs. And that would prove to be more important than any of them knew at that moment.

Misa lay on her side in Baron’s bed, her back facing the doorway. She was in so much pain that she dared not move. She had finally positioned her bruised body in a way that gave her some relief from the throbbing aches. Baron had done a number on her this time. He had erupted in a fury so violent, Misa had been caught off guard.

Baron appeared in the doorway and saw her lying in the fetal position. He felt guilty for taking his frustrations out on Misa the way he had. They had been having one of their usual hot sex sessions and, as he’d done countless times before, Baron was choking Misa. This time, he had to admit, he may have been more aggressive about it as he thrust himself in and out of her, squeezing her throat with one hand while watching her try in vain to gasp for air. He had been strangely turned on by her inability to breathe, felt a power that he thoroughly enjoyed. As he got caught up in that feeling, Misa was struggling for air and she had reached up and clawed at his face, scratching him and drawing blood. Angry, Baron had slapped her hard across her face. Misa had hit him back and before he knew it, Baron had reacted
viciously. He had punched and kicked Misa until she began to cry and beg him to stop. Instead of feeling sorry for her, Baron was aroused and laughed at her sinisterly as he forced her into a prone position and violently entered her from behind. Misa had howled in pain as he pummeled her anally, and the more brutal he was, the louder she screamed. When he was finally done with her, he’d coldly left her crying in a heap of messy sheets and pillows while he got up, got dressed, and walked out the front door. Misa had lain there for hours this way, wondering what to make of the man she wanted so badly to be Mr. Right.

Now, as he reentered the bedroom and saw her there, he shook his head. This was the kind of behavior that had caused him to lose Angie. Here he was doing it again, taking his anger and frustrations out on a woman. He walked over to the bed and touched Misa’s rumpled hair. She cringed, partly out of fear that he was back to hurt her some more and partly because her head was sore where he touched her. He sat down beside her and cleared his throat.

“Look at me.”

Misa bit her lip hard as she turned slowly to face Baron, her head throbbing the entire time.

He looked at her and shook his head. “I’m sorry,” he said flatly. “I spazzed out ’cuz you never should have scratched me like that.”

Misa was stunned. Was he blaming her for this? “You were choking me,” she said softly, not wanting to set him off again. “I couldn’t breathe.”

Looking at her bruises, he shook his head. He could never let Camille see her like this. Frankie would kill him. “Well, like I said, I’m sorry.” His voice was emotionless, but he was smiling at Misa so she relaxed slightly. “I want you
to stay here with me for a couple days. I’m sure Camille will look after your son. It’s Columbus Day weekend, anyway, so she won’t mind.”

Misa shook her head, still in pain. “No. I need to get home to Shane.” She really wanted to get the hell away from Baron after what he had done to her.

He took a deep breath and looked at her. There was no way he was letting her go home to Staten Island looking like Tina Turner after one of her fights with Ike. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out two jewelry boxes, one larger than the other.

Misa couldn’t help but smile. “For me?”

He nodded. “I saw these and I couldn’t decide which one was beautiful enough for you. So I just bought them both.” He smiled back at Misa, and handed the boxes to her.

Misa reached for the bigger box first. Opening it, she gasped. Two brilliant diamond bangles sparkled back at her and her smile spread even wider.

“Oh my God, Baron! These are gorgeous.” Misa was nearly breathless as she eyed them.

Baron was happy that his apology was working so far. “Open this one.”

Misa took the smaller box and slowly opened it. She peered inside and looked at Baron questioningly. “What is this?” she asked, pulling the diamond ring out of the box. Her heart jumped as she wondered whether Baron was proposing to her.

“It’s a ring,” he said. “Just a ring. Don’t get excited.”

It was too late for that. Misa was already excited as she put it on. “What does it mean?”

He shrugged. “Just means that you’re special. And I care about you.”

The ring was stunning and Misa didn’t care if it wasn’t a proposal of marriage. “I love it.”

Baron kissed her softly. “Good. I’m glad.” He paused for a moment, looked in her puffy eyes. “You sure you don’t want to stay for the weekend?”

Misa thought about it. She looked at the ring on her finger and the bangles and shrugged. She had to admit that she wanted to stay. Baron was
fine
! He was paid, powerful, and as long as she was on his arm, she would be paid and powerful, too. She could give Shane the life she hadn’t had growing up. She could stop sponging off Camille and make her own way, have her own money and respect. But right now she was still very afraid of Baron. “I think I need to leave,” she said. “I need to go home and take care of Shane.”

Baron looked at her, his green eyes seeming to plead with her. “Call Camille,” he said. “Ask her to watch him for you. I want to take you with me to Miami for a few days.”

Misa would have jumped up and down had she not been so sore. “Miami?” she asked, fighting the urge to smile. She pictured them on a beach together, coupled up. Her and fine-ass Baron! She cleared her throat. “I’ve never been there before.”

Baron smiled. “Good. Let me take you there for a few days. Get you a massage, some rest, and we can get to know each other a little better.” His smile faded. He looked down at his hands and then back at her. “I’m not a monster, you know.”

Misa didn’t move. She didn’t dare respond, either, out of fear that he might snap again.

“I didn’t mean to hurt you like this, Misa. And I won’t put my hands on you again. I promise.”

Misa wanted so badly to believe him. She thought again about the idea of flying away with Baron for a little while. “Okay.”

“Call Camille and then come and take a bath with me.” Baron left the bedroom and Misa’s heart raced with excitement. She thought about what happened as she called her sister. True, Baron had gone too far. But he had made up for it with the beautiful gifts he’d given her. Plus he’d said that she was special, that he cared about her, and now they were flying off to Miami. This was the type of shit she’d dreamed about. Misa figured that maybe she shouldn’t have scratched him; maybe she should never have let him start choking her in the first place. She rationalized that she may have been partly to blame for how Baron had reacted. And she forgave him. After all, he was Baron fucking Nobles, and that meant that she and Shane were on the verge of a wonderful life. Baron was the key to her happiness. If she could get him to settle down with her, Shane could go to the best schools and they could move out of her humble home and into this opulent one.
Shit
, she decided, Camille wasn’t the only one deserving of a fairy tale.

Camille knew that
she’d been drinking too much lately. Last night, she’d passed out after downing an entire bottle of Hennessey White she’d brought home from some long-ago trip to Jamaica. Shane had awakened bright and early the next morning as he usually did. But Camille had been snoring away in a drunken stupor. Thank goodness Steven had come over early and had given Shane some cereal and turned on his favorite cartoons. When Camille had finally shuffled downstairs feeling like a heap of shit, she’d found Steven playing hide-and-go-seek with a giggling Shane.

“Thanks, Steven,” Camille mumbled. She pulled her robe tighter around her bulging frame and wished she could just crawl back into bed. Damn Misa! She was off frolicking
in Florida while Camille was left to care for her kid. “I’ll take over from here.”

Steven looked at his sister-in-law and laughed a little. Miss Goody Two-shoes was really starting to break down. He had noticed that Camille was spending most of her nights hitting the bottle and listening to sad songs. While his brother, Frankie, was out doing his thing, his wife was falling apart at home. Steven felt kind of vindicated. Frankie had reached a level of success that Steven knew he would never reach. Frankie had gotten out early, escaped the cruel punishments their father had dished out at whim. Frankie was the man, everybody knew that. So, Steven rode his brother’s coattails. He knew that someday the façade of his brother’s “perfect” life would come crashing down around him. On the surface Frankie B had the perfect looks, the perfect wife, home, cars, and connections. Steven suspected that it wouldn’t always be that way, and those suspicions were starting to ring true. Not that he wanted his brother to fail. Steven had a lot of love for Frankie. But growing up in his shadow had been far from easy. Plus, Steven had his own demons to deal with. And somehow living in the splendor of Frankie’s home seemed to make those demons easier to battle.

“You look like you need to sleep some more,” he said to Camille. “Frankie went to Nobles’ house. He said he’ll be home in time for dinner.”

Camille looked crestfallen. “Frankie was home? He left?”

“Yeah. He’s gonna wanna eat when he gets home. What you making?”

Camille felt sick at the very thought of food.

Steven laughed. “That’s what I thought. Go lay down and I’ll order food from the Italian spot we like.”

Camille noticed that Steven was becoming more and more comfortable in their home instead of utilizing the guest house.
The Italian spot
we
like.
Steven was starting to become too much of a fixture in her personal space. She didn’t care that their home was large and lavish. It was hers to share with Frankie—
alone
—until the day when they decided to have children.

But as her stomach went topsy-turvy, she looked at Shane. He was jumping up and down in the middle of the floor, yelling, “Come and find me, Unca Steben!” The child was bubbling over with energy and Steven seemed to finally have something productive to contribute to Camille’s life.

She nodded. “Okay. Wake me up at three.” She shuffled back upstairs to bed and was asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.

Three days later
, Misa came home and she couldn’t wait to see Shane. It had only been a few days since she’d dropped him off and headed for Miami, but she missed her son like crazy. She put her Louis Vuitton luggage in her bedroom and plopped down on the couch to call Camille.

As the phone rang, she couldn’t help but marvel at all the things Baron had bought for her. In addition to the diamonds and the luggage, he had purchased an entire wardrobe of beautiful clothes for her, since she hadn’t had an opportunity to go home and pack anything. They had stayed at a lovely beach resort on Collins Avenue and Baron had been gentle and kind toward her. She was feeling brand new and ready to begin a deeper, more meaningful relationship with him.