The Secret First Lady: The Naked Truth (11 page)

              Once at home, she played a board game with her kids while Leah prepared them dinner. Rachel was still full from her lunch and appeared to be in a different world. She played a few rounds with them and left Christina in charge, joining Leah in the kitchen.

              “How’s everything working out with you and Marvin?” Rachel started up a conversation while Leah broke spaghetti noodles in half, throwing them into the boiling pot of water.

              “Oh, it’s going good. He’s a nice man and I’m learning a lot.” Leah tried not to avoid making eye contact, but Rachel didn’t even notice how uncomfortable her roommate was.

              “I’m glad to hear that. Listen, I’m going to LA for the weekend, do you think you’ll be okay with the kids?” Rachel was reluctant to ask, but she couldn’t let her know something was troubling her.

              “Of course. Christina is such a big help. She is so mature. Go and enjoy yourself. Maybe one day I’ll get to visit Cali.”

              “Yeah, maybe.” Rachel smiled and returned to the children.

Chapter Seventeen: A New Beginning

              Mike was even smoother than Rachel presumed. Instead of allowing her to drive to his home, he sent a car to pick her up. They flew first class, sipped champagne, and enjoyed a movie until their flight landed in LA.

              A limo picked them up and brought them to the Four Seasons Hotel located between Beverly Hills and West Hollywood. They were coming up on their six month anniversary; although, Rachel tried not admit it, they were indeed a couple.  It was too early to check into their room, so the two did a little shopping before the event. Rachel found the cutest little souvenirs for all of the children and Leah.

              The event was also held at the hotel. Ms. Jones and Mr. Rizzo were the classiest looking power couple.  All eyes were on them, even though the party was filled with a bunch of A-list celebrities and industry couples.  Rachel was owning the room, taking advantage of her networking opportunities. Mike enjoyed watching her and even though they agreed not to be intimate, she was turning him on.

              She made a few connections with athletes and entertainers and returned to their designated table for dinner.  The entertainment featured a live jazz band. After enjoying their entrees, Mike and Rachel joined the other couples on the dance floor. She wrapped her arms around his neck and gazed into his eyes as they grooved to the soft jazz melodies as if no one else was on the floor but them.

             
Oh no, this can’t be happening so soon. I can’t be falling in love with him already.
She moved closer to him. As if he were reading her mind, he whispered in her ear, “Don’t be afraid, I’m not them. I won’t hurt you.” They enjoyed the rest of the event, ended with dessert, and retired to their comfortable suite.

              “Oh my goodness! How did you have time to do all of this?” Rachel was in awe over all the rose petals sprinkled throughout the suite. Warm vanilla candles were burning and soft music whispered throughout the room.  She followed the rose petal trail into the bathroom to find the garden tub filled with a bubble bath and roses. Candles were lit and a red sexy night gown with a matching robe, hung on the door.

              “Baby, I just want to show you how special you are to me.” He whispered in her ear and gently kissed her on the neck.  “You’ve had a long week, so I want you to relax your mind and your body and let me cater to you.”

              Rachel felt a tear crawl down her cheek.  “Thank you, baby.”

              He wiped the tear from her eye. “You don’t have to thank me, I’m just doing what I’m supposed to be doing; honoring my queen.”

              Rachel peeled off her dress and stepped into the warm bath. She motioned for him to join her. “No, this is your relaxation time. I’ll use the shower. Before I go, let me do something for you.” He grabbed the sponge, applied body wash to it, and gently washed her back.

              She sat back in the tub, allowing her mocha skin to soak. She thought about Margaret Belmont, the fake P.I., how her kids were doing, and the missing loot and then she decided not to think about anything negative. She reassured herself that the kids were fine.
I’ll deal with everything else when I return home
.

              She got out of the tub, dried off, and slipped into her night gown. The satin felt good on her body. She returned into the bedroom and found a bottle of lotion in her luggage. “Let me do that for you, baby.” Mike insisted on pampering his lady friend. He laid her body down on the king size bed and gently massaged the cream into her skin.

              “Rachel?” He kept a low tone. She didn’t respond, instead, she answered him with her eyes, with a look that said
you-have-all-of-my attention
. “I know it’s only been six months and sometimes you can’t put a restriction on what your heart feels. Everything about you is perfect to me. You’re beautiful, intelligent, caring, and unique; you enjoy helping others. Even though I haven’t been blessed with the opportunity of meeting your children, I know you’re an excellent mother.”

              He got up and walked over to the closet and fetched a light blue bag from Tiffany & Company. Rachel sat up in the bed observing his every move. He walked back over to her, pulled out a small box from the bag, and got on one knee. Rachel’s heart started to pound at a faster than normal tempo.
Stop tripping, Rach, it’s only a bracelet or maybe necklace.

              “I want to love you, pray for you and with you. I want to stay with you until God calls one of us away. There’s no doubt in my mind that you’ll make a great partner with me, for the rest of my life. Will you marry me, Rachel Michelle Jones?” He opened the box and the diamonds nearly blinded her.

              Rachel couldn’t deny she felt something special for him and realized if she kept fighting her feelings, she might block her blessings. “Rachel Rizzo sounds like a tongue twister. Yes, I’ll marry you.”

              He rested his head on her thigh, crying tears of joy. “Tonight, as bad as I want you, I’d rather hold you in my arms and listen to the heart beat of my future wife. I love you, Rachel, I knew I would the moment I first laid eyes on you.”

              The soft music continued to bounce off the walls. The warm vanilla fragrance smelled so sweet. The new couple’s bodies were pressed tightly together as they slept in serenity.

Chapter EIGHTEEN: AFTER THE
CALM

              The departure flight was so pleasant. Rachel left for a fun weekend trip and was returning as an engaged woman.  She stared down at her three carat rock as they flew over the friendly skies. They decided to go out for a nice dinner so that he could officially meet his future step-children. Their wedding date would be dependent on how well Mike and the children gelled together.

              Once the car service returned them to Mike’s residence, Mike tipped the driver and kissed his fiancée.  The driver headed towards Stockbridge and she finally turned on her cell phone. She noticed she had two messages.

              Leah: “Hi Rachel, hope you’re having a fun trip. The kids and I are having a blast, see you on Sunday!”

              Rachel smiled as she deleted the message. She was glad that Leah was doing better and regretted the fact that the fake P.I. was lying about finding her mother. She listened to the next message:

              Shane Gasko: “Ms. Jones, this is Private Investigator Shane Gasko. I have some information for you. Please stop by my office on Monday. Thank you.”

              Rachel sighed.
Back to reality.
She looked down at her ring, determined to not let anything sour the sweet feeling she was experiencing. The driver parked in front of her home and retrieved her luggage. He carried her bags to the door and departed.

              “Mommy! CJ, mommy’s back!” Christina greeted Rachel with a big hug.

              “Did you guys miss me?” Rachel asked with a huge grin on her face.

              “Yes!”  All the children sang in unison.

Remove This Line
              “Hey, Leah! What’s up?” Rachel gave her a cheerful greeting.

              “I should be asking you that! I see the bling.  Did I miss something?” She was admiring the engagement ring.

              “It is what you think it is, but I don’t want to announce to the little people just yet.” Rachel said looking over at her kids, hoping Christina hadn’t caught on.

              “Oh okay. That’s a beautiful piece of ice. I can’t wait to meet him.”

              Rachel smiled, keeping her thoughts to herself.
You’ll be the last somebody to meet him. Hello? I only know you through an affair you had with my ex-husband.
“Hey Kids! I’m going to throw on some sweats and take you all to the playground.”

              “Yay!” The children cheered.

              The Jones-Price household had a fun filled evening. Rachel ended her night with a phone conversation with Mike.

              The next morning, Rachel tackled all the emails she neglected while in LA. She phoned the P.I. to inform him she’d be dropping by during lunch. She decided to take Rashonda with her in case the news was too unbearable for her to drive.

              She had Bridget set up a few client interviews, chatted with Mike, and promised the ladies to have another girls’ day on Friday to explain her new bling and radiant glow.

              “Girl, I’m not waiting until Friday; inquiring minds want to know.” Rashonda said as she hopped into the front seat of Rachel’s SUV.

              “Inquiring minds or nosey girlfriends?” Rachel teased. The two women laughed and Rachel divulged a little detail regarding her weekend getaway as they cruised up the 75 interstate.

              “I’m so happy for you. I’m glad you didn’t push him away. When do we get to meet him? I’m sure he’ll be coming by the office,” Rachel said with an inquisitive look on her face.

             
              “Soon, darling. Christina and CJ will finally meet him this Fri-----day!” Rachel screeched as she swerved into the center lane evading a car who hopped into her lane without paying attention.

              “Freaking idiot!” Rashonda snapped under her breath, eye balling the driver. They took the next exit and turned left onto Peachtree. She drove another five miles before reaching her destination.

              “Hello, ladies. Can I get you something to drink?” Shane got up from his desk to shake their hands.

              “I’ll have some tea please?” Rashonda said as she sat on the sofa.

              “Nothing for me, thank you.” Rachel was only interested in his findings.

              He gave Rashonda the tea and told her it came from Korea. “Alright, Ms. Jones, here is the information I gathered.” He opened the file and handed her a photo. “Here’s the picture of Margaret Belmont.”

              Rachel studied the picture and looked as if she’d seen a ghost. “You’ve gotta be fuckin’ kidding me, right?” She couldn’t control her emotions. Tears were gushing from her eyes.

              Rachel passed the picture to Rashonda. “Oh my goodness. Leah Price?” They were both in a state of disbelief.

              “So you know her?” Shane asked.

              “I thought I knew her.” Rachel mumbled.

              “Oh it gets better.” He announced. “Did you call her Leah Price?” He asked Rashonda. She nodded her head yes and reached over to grab her friend’s hand to offer a little comfort. “Well I met her through my cousin, Marvin, as his girlfriend. They have a two year old daughter named Olivia. When I met her she was introduced as Tamara. I looked up her Ohio driver’s license and her legal name is Tamara Leah Price. The system says she had a name change, but that information hasn’t come back yet. Perhaps, she changed it from Tamara to Leah, but I can’t confirm right now.”

              “I’m gonna kill her!” Rachel declared as she stood up.

              “Ms. Jones, I know you’re upset but we have to play this cool, so that both she and my cousin end up where they belong; behind bars.” He spoke calmly.

              He devised a plan with both ladies and made them promise to stick with it. They grudgingly agreed, but wanted to deliver an old school beat down. Rachel thought about how she would have to go back to work and then home to play nice with her enemy.