Cougars (21 page)

“I remember that game,” Travis said. “It was your junior year and my first year of graduate school.”

“That's right. You weren't my roommate anymore at that time. Anyway, I felt invincible that day. I felt as if I could take on the world and knock it flat on its ass. Hatcher, who's also a big gambler, was there for the game. Somehow he got into the team's victory party at one of the frat houses. He blended in among all of the shouting, loud music and cheering. He pulled me to the side and told me that he wanted to become friends with me. That night I wanted to be friends with everyone. He talked about my potential and how he could help me. I was naive and listened to everything he was telling me. He gave me money, around eight thousand, and said it was a present. It was a part of his gambling winnings. He said he'd won two hundred and fifty thousand on that game and wanted to show his appreciation to my teammates and me. Eight thousand might as well have been a million. I should not have accepted it but I did. I watched him as he walked around to a few other teammates and gave them money as well. That was the beginning of my downfall.

“The following season, during my senior year, our team made it to the Citrus Bowl and lost. We lost that game because I purposely fumbled the ball at the goal line. Hatcher didn't want
our team to win because he'd bet a substantial amount of money against us with every booking agent in Las Vegas and Atlantic City. He won a ridiculous sum of money from the point-shaving scheme. For my compliance he gave me and several other teammates twenty-five thousand dollars. Everything was going fine. I thought we'd gotten away with it, but the next thing I knew, there was a huge investigation. The team was hauled in for questioning. I kept my damn mouth shut and denied that I ever knew Hatcher and swore I'd never betted on games or accepted money from gamblers. But I was given a chance to come clean because if the federal investigators discovered I'd lied, I would've been convicted. In order to make things easier on myself I pled guilty to gambling, received a suspension and the league overturned all of our victories that got us to the bowl game. With that kind of scandal, it made it much more difficult for me to make it to the pros.”

“How come you never told me all of this? I knew some serious shit had gone down but I didn't realize the extent of it,” Travis said.

“I didn't want to talk about it, Travis, that's why. I saw my life being flushed down the damn toilet. It wasn't easy dealing with that shit. Hatcher was never caught, and frankly with time, the entire incident sort of just faded away. I'd learn later that Hatcher, through his connections, was able to sweep the incident under a rug. After I graduated, I thought I was done with Hatcher, but I found myself gambling on college and pro games. I got in over my head with a bookie and needed some fast cash. I reluctantly called Hatcher for help. At the time he was in need of a pilot whom he could trust. We made a deal. He took care of my debt and I became his personal pilot. I couldn't bring myself to stop gambling. Like an idiot I kept borrowing money from Hatcher and dug myself into a deep hole that I can't get out of.”

“Jesus Christ, man!” Travis said now that he fully understood what Alex was into. “So you've really been flying in drugs for him?”

“I don't ask questions about that. I just know that the plane is loaded and I fly it.”

“If law enforcement officials ever got wind of what you were doing, dude, you'd be fucked.”

Alex slapped the dashboard of the car. “I'm already fucked, Travis. The question is how in the hell do I get out of it?”

“If you were able to get Hatcher the money, would he let you go?” Travis naively asked.

“Whenever I ask him that, he just smiles sinisterly, slaps my cheeks and says, ‘But of course.'”

“Wow.” Travis didn't know what else to say.

“Thanks for coming to get me. In all honesty you're the only person whom I can trust and depend on right now. Hatcher believes that my parents are dead and my extended family members were unable to care for me and put me in a foster home.”

“So do you think Hatcher is going to get you out of this?” Travis asked.

“I know he is. I'm the best pilot he has and he has too many shipments that need to be delivered. He's going to tack this on to my bill. After this I'll probably owe him close to three quarters of a million dollars.”

“Shit!” Travis said.

“I just want my life back, man. Somehow I got lost and now I just don't know which way to turn.”

“Go to the police,” Travis suggested.

Alex laughed sarcastically. “You don't understand how well Hatcher is connected. He has people in law enforcement and politicians looking out for him. If he even thought I was a snitch, he'd cut my balls off and hand them to me. I want to get out of this man, I really do. I don't know how I'm going to turn this shit around, but I need to find a way to get him his money back with interest, so I can move on.”

Travis truly wanted to help Alex, but he had no clue as to how. He'd never had to deal with a complex situation like the one his best friend, whom he loved like a brother, had gotten himself into. He knew overall Alex was a good guy, a little high strung and blinded by his own personality and a series of bad judgment calls, but in general, Travis still loved him enough to do whatever he could for him.

BEFORE LONG, THE END OF THE YEAR had arrived and the holiday season was approaching. Travis and Jasmine were able to maintain a professional relationship and a laid-back intimate relationship. For the moment Travis was content and hadn't gotten bored with Jasmine. Their relationship was based on a mutual agreement to provide each other with intimacy and friendship. Travis liked this arrangement because it wasn't complicated. Jasmine understood the passion he had for his job and she understood how driven he was. She didn't fuss at him for working late or not calling her when he got home. She didn't get fussy at work or accuse him of wanting to be with another woman. Jasmine, from his perspective, was perfect for a guy like him who oftentimes got obsessively lost in the world of experimentation.

TRAVIS WAS IN THE LAB OBSERVING and taking notes on the test subjects he'd injected with a prototype of the aphrodisiac he'd been working on. Jasmine entered the lab and asked him to drop by her office when he had a moment.

“Okay,” Travis answered without looking up from his notepad. Time got away from Travis and before he realized, it was close to 8 p.m. He was still working and hadn't stopped in to see Jasmine.

“Shit,” he hissed as he exited the lab and walked toward Jasmine's office to see if she was there. When he arrived at her office, she
was gone. He walked past his own office and noticed an envelope on his desk. He went in and picked it up. It was from Jasmine. He ripped open the envelope and read the handwritten note inside:

Hey babe. I'm planning a New Year's Eve party. If you're free I'd love for you to come by. You should also bring your friend, Alex. My girlfriends, Tiffany and Millie, are flying in from out of town. I'd love to formally introduce you to them. Let me know if you can make it.

Travis crumpled up the note and tossed it into the trashcan. He pulled out his cell phone and sent Jasmine a text which read:
I'll be there for the party.
Once he forwarded the message, he went back to work.

THE AROMA OF SOUL FOOD WAS WAFTING throughout Jasmine's house. Jasmine had spent most of the day preparing gumbo, collard greens, cornbread, yams, black-eyed peas, macaroni and cheese and an assortment of desserts. Her house was festooned beautifully with holiday decorations that she and Travis had spent putting up the night before. As Jasmine and Travis were both in the kitchen making final preparations for the arrival of guests, Travis was placing dishes in the dishwasher and Jasmine was finishing up placing food on the table. Once Travis was done with the dishes, he went over to the stereo and turned on some music. Donny Hathaway was singing his hit song “This Christmas.”

“Babe, turn that up. I love that song,” Jasmine requested. Travis turned up the song and then joined her in the dining room.

“Wow, Jasmine, everything looks great,” Travis said.

“Do you really think so?” Jasmine asked as she placed her best silverware on the table.

“Yeah, I really do.” At that moment the song on the radio switched and now Nat King Cole was singing “The Christmas
Song.” Jasmine began to sway to the melody as the sound of the doorbell chimed. She immediately turned her attention to the other side of the room and headed toward the door. She opened it to find Millie, Tiffany, and Lauren, who'd picked them up from the airport, standing there with giddy smiles.

“Ahhh!” Tiffany screamed with joy as she stepped inside and tossed her arms around Jasmine and kissed her on the cheek. Jasmine then moved to Millie who was directly behind her and wrapped her arms around her.

“Oh, it's so good to see you,” Millie said as they embraced and rocked back and forth.

“I've missed you guys,” Jasmine said as everyone walked in. “Come on, I have the guest bedrooms all prepared for you guys.” Jasmine escorted them to their rooms upstairs. Once their luggage was set aside, they all came back downstairs.

“Ladies, this is my friend, Travis,” Jasmine said as they returned to the dining room.

“Hello, ladies,” Travis greeted him with a friendly smile.

“So, you're the lover man Jasmine has been talking about,” Tiffany teased. Travis laughed.

“I'm Tiffany, the crazy, sexy and most fabulous one out of the group,” she said, extending her hand.

“Hello, it's nice to meet you. Jasmine has most certainly told me a lot about you,” Travis admitted.

“Whatever she told you are lies.” Tiffany's fun-spirited personality immediately put Travis at ease.

“I'm Millie,” she said, sizing Travis up on the sly.

“You're the judge, correct?” Travis already knew the answer to the question, but asked anyway.

“Yes I am, and if you mess up with my girl, I'll sentence your ass to a life of hard labor in prison,” Millie said.

“I'd better make sure that I don't mess up then,” Travis said.

“And I'm her sister, Lauren. I'm the one with the gun.”

“Wow. You're not going to shoot me, are you?” Travis asked.

“No, not unless you get on my bad side. If you do that then, bang—right between the eyes,” Lauren said.

“You guys are a rough bunch,” Travis said.

“Don't pay them any attention, Travis. They're just giving you a difficult time,” Jasmine said, coming to his rescue.

“Don't worry, I can handle myself,” Travis said.

“I like a confident man,” Tiffany said flirtatiously.

“Tiffany! Don't you dare get started,” Millie scolded her.

“What?” Tiffany acted innocently by twirling her hair.

At that moment, the doorbell chimed again. Jasmine went to the window and peeped out.

“Travis, it's your friend, Alex.”

“Okay, I'll be right there,” Travis said as he walked to the door and opened it. Alex held two bottles of wine.

“What's up, man?” Travis said. He stepped aside to let him in. “I'm so glad you could make it.”

“Happy Holidays,” Alex said. He stepped inside and waited for Travis to close the door.

“Hello, Alex,” Jasmine greeted him for the first time since they'd met on her flight to New York earlier that year.

“You know you should be with me, right?” Alex started in right away.

“Fate had different plans, Alex,” Jasmine said as she extended her hands to take the wine bottles. “This is so nice of you to bring a gift, but you didn't have to.”

“That's the way I roll. I had to bring something,” Alex said.

“Well, hello,” Tiffany said while sizing Alex up. “I'm Tiffany. The sexy, crazy, and fabulous one.”

“I'm Alex and your pleasure is my business,” he said, matching wits with her.

“What kind of pleasure do you give?” Tiffany asked, licking her lips.

“The kind that can turn a woman like you completely out,” Alex fired back shifting his weight from one foot to the other while sizing her up.

“You don't look like you have the right equipment to turn a person out.” Tiffany placed her hands on her hips.

“Trust me. I'm fully equipped to handle your most daring desires,” Alex said slowly and smoothly.

“Oh Lord. You two are cut from the same stone. I see right now you guys are going to go at it all night long.” Jasmine chuckled as she took the bottles of wine in the kitchen.

THE EVENING CONTINUED ON and everyone enjoyed the new friendships being formed. At the stroke of midnight, glasses of wine were poured and everyone toasted in the New Year with cheers and laughter.

“So how do you like working with Jasmine at the pharmaceutical company, Travis?” Millie asked, tucking her hair behind her ear.

“I love it. She and I are working on a new formula that acts as an aphrodisiac for women. The prototype has some real potential, but it's not ready for the market yet.”

“An aphrodisiac for women? As in a sexual stimulant?” Alex asked curiously.

“Yeah,” Travis answered. “If we can get it tested and approved, it will really help a lot of people.”

“Or just make everyone want to fuck each other's brains out all of the time. Not that there is anything wrong with that. I'm just saying,” Tiffany joked.

“Well, if it does get approved, I'm positive it will be a popular drug,” said Lauren. “How would women use it, though? Is it a cream, liquid or a pill?”

“Right now, it's a liquid. A person would take it thirty minutes before intercourse. It's designed to increase blood flow, heighten a woman's sensitivity to touch, and give a woman a feeling of euphoria so that she relaxes completely. Then there is an ingredient that increases vaginal wetness, eliminating the problem of dryness that many women suffer from.”