Raging Blue (12 page)

Chapter
24

Mia

Once again, Mia stood before her mirrored closet doors examining her body and rubbing her belly. Princeton’s offer was attractive, but what was she to do about her pregnancy? Men like him came a dime a dozen, and she wasn’t ready to pawn off her unborn child for a nice set up. How long would it be before she got tired of dealing with him and his rigid rules? This baby would help her live comfortably for years to come with or without a nice set up.

“I guess I’ve made my decision,” Mia said to her reflection, then turned to the side. She tried to imagine what she would eventually look like once her stomach grew much larger.

“Hey, beautiful,” Princeton called from downstairs.

Mia quickly dropped her tank top and stepped away from the mirror. She plundered through her drawers for a loose-fitting t-shirt. She was annoyed by the fact that Princeton had a copy of the keys to the house. The thought of him coming to town and walking through her doors anytime he pleased helped to confirm her decision.

“What’s up?” she called down to him.

“Come here! I have something for you,” he shouted up the stairs.

The sweet aroma of cane syrup and waffles greeted her as she descended. Her mouth watered, and her stomach lurched in anticipation. Mia
had recently developed an appreciative relationship with food. Putting a little pep in her step, she carefully trotted down the remaining steps and quickly made her way to the kitchen. The sound of her happy sigh filled the kitchen. Princeton looked up at her and laughed.

“Mmm, it smells so good in here. What did you get?” She forgot about asking him why he was there.

“A little something for my lady,” he replied.

Mia’s mouth watered. A wide smile spread across her face as she visually feasted on the delectable spread of chicken, waffles, creamy white butter, strawberry compote, and organic orange juice.

“Let me get the plates,” she said and headed for the cabinets.

The sight and scents of the food made her put off declining his offer until later. She’d worry about that after she ate.

Princeton patted his lap. Mia sat there, and they ate breakfast together.

“Damn, baby. You can eat as much as me. How do you stay so trim?”

If only he knew.
Mia laughed. “I work out,” she said with her mouth full.

Princeton laughed, too. Then he stepped behind her and gently squeezed her waist.

“Yes, you do,” he said, smiling seductively.

With his large hands, he lifted Mia, sitting her on top of the granite peninsula facing him.

“Um. The food was great, but here’s the real treat,” Princeton said, rubbing his thumbs across her small breasts.

As her nipples stood at attention in response to Princeton’s touch, Mia decided to wait another hour or so to tell him that she was declining his offer. When she felt his tongue circle her petite mounds, she figured she’d just tell him later. Once he started kissing her from her breasts down to the crease between her thighs, she forgot all about declining his offer. Mia moved the leftover food and half empty container of juice out of her way and lay back, savoring the skillful assault.

“Damn, baby. You are amazing. That’s why I need you in my life,” Princeton told her.

As the offer popped into her mind, she rolled her eyes and then looked at Princeton to make sure he hadn’t caught her. All of a sudden, Princeton jumped off of the counter and yanked at his sweats. Mia slid off the counter and side-stepped to get out of his way.

“I’m sorry, beautiful. Didn’t mean to startle you. I’ve got something else for you, and I want to get it right now,” he said.

Princeton quickly disappeared. When he returned, he had a huge grin on his face and one hand behind his back. Mia wondered what he was hiding and hoped it was her spare key so he couldn’t walk in on her anymore.

“What’s that?” she asked, not interested in playing games.

“You have to wait. Now let’s talk,” he responded, sitting on the kitchen stool. With one hand, he lifted Mia back on top of the counter in front of him. “You know I want to take care of you. It’s been a few days since I made my proposal, but I wanted to get you a little something to help you decide.”

The gifts were always nice, but Mia needed to tell him that she wasn’t willing. The time had finally come.

“Prince—” she started.

He covered her mouth with his large hand, interrupting her protest.

“Wait. Don’t feel pressured. I just want to help encourage you to accept my offer,” he said.

Princeton placed a small, neatly wrapped box in her hands. She looked up at him surprised.

“Open it,” he said as a smile swelled across the lower half of his face. “Come on! Open it!” he chanted.

“Okay,” Mia said, stretching out the end of the word.

She took a deep breath and opened the small package. Inside, she found a set of keys to a
Jaguar, and her mouth dropped open. She looked at Princeton, stunned. Her eyes blinked repeatedly. Past suitors had showered her with jewelry, shopping sprees, and money, but none of them came close to matching Princeton’s level of generosity.

“Princeton, are you serious?”

“There’s something else.” He pointed to the box.

Mia pulled a small velvet sachet from the bottom of the box with what appeared to be a card inside. As she peeled the legendary black American Express card from the sachet, her eyes grew wider in amazement. The well-known Centurion Card, more informally known as ‘the black card’, had her name imprinted across the bottom—not his! She couldn’t believe it. Immediately, she thought about all the cash she could pull off of the card and stash away. Princeton had outdone himself. His smile beamed as she looked at him and then to the card and keys.

“I can’t believe this,” she said, her mouth unhinged by surprise.

“Come on. Let’s go for a ride,” he suggested and scooped her off of the countertop.

Mia couldn’t help but laugh as he carried her to the garage where the shiny silver hunk of luxury machinery was perched, gleaming like the sun.

“Princeton, wait! I’m not dressed,” she said, referring to her t-shirt and lounge pants.

“We’re just going to cruise around the block. No one will ever notice.”

After delicately placing her in the driver’s seat, he dashed around to the passenger side and jumped in. Mia was fascinated by the fine leather seats and luxurious interior. She fingered the steering wheel. Suddenly, the car started, but the keys were still in her hand. Mia threw her head back and laughed. Princeton had pressed the automatic start button. Daylight oozed through the garage as the door lifted.

“Take your baby for a ride,” Princeton said and bellowed a thick laugh.

Mia put the car in gear and stepped on the gas. The car lurched forward. Mia hit the brakes.

“Easy, baby. Be gentle,” Princeton cautioned.

Mia slid her foot off of the brakes and tapped the gas lightly. The car moved easily. She gauged the car’s momentum until she found the right balance. Then they cruised around the neighborhood, getting to know the ride.

Mia was on a high as she glided through the streets in her development. Maybe she could wait until the next day to tell him that she couldn’t accept his offer. After all, she needed to do some shopping first.

Chapter 25

Gavin

The soft touch of Blue’s kiss stayed with Gavin for days. Lisa’s number flashed across the screen of his cell phone. Again, he ignored the call. Gavin used anything he could think of to avoid her, like work, Jay, travel, and family. His respect for Lisa made him want to be fair. Blue had his heart and mind in a state of flux.

The kiss had also refueled Gavin’s desire to close the gap on his friendship with Jay. He had given him enough patience and time. Gavin had wanted Blue from the first day he set eyes on her back in college at St. John’s University. When he told Jay that he was planning to ask her out, Jay—being selfish—made a game out of winning her over. Gavin sat back and watched as Jay snatched Blue out of his grasp. That was the last time Gavin had confided in Jay about his feelings for any woman. He wondered if Blue knew the real reason Jay had pursued her.

On the day they wed, Gavin stood next to Jay as his best man, forcing back his feelings for the bride. He’d have to settle for being friends for the rest of his life, knowing he would have been the better man. Gavin was at a crossroads.

You can’t fall in love with your friend’s vulnerable wife
, he thought to himself.

“I’m not in love,” he said aloud. He wanted to be convincing.

Focus escaped him all day at work and as he made his way home. As the elevator doors to his penthouse opened, he hoped the house was empty. Jay had worn out his welcome.

Gavin marched towards the guestroom that Jay occupied, knocked once, and pushed the door open. Jay turned around with fury engrained in the lines of his face. Gavin dismissed his anger and walked further into the room. Wild, red eyes revealed that Jay was high. Gavin looked around the room.

“What’s all of this?” he asked, referring to the bundles of money Jay had scattered on the bed.

Jay stopped counting the money in his hand and sat on the bed.

“I had to do what I had to do,” Jay responded.

“Did you take every dime you own out of the bank?” Gavin asked with his face twisted in confusion, while Jay just glared at him. “Does Blue know about this?”

The expression on Jay’s face answered his question.             

“Jay.” When he didn’t respond, Gavin threw his hands up.

Jay went back to counting his money and stuffing it in a duffle bag.

Gavin walked over to the window that faced the building across the street. People scurried around on the sidewalks like mice. Gavin watched them as he thought of what he had to say next.

“Listen…I can give you ‘til the end of the week.”

“I’ll be out of here tomorrow. I’m leaving New York,” Jay said without bothering to look up at Gavin as he spoke.

As happy as Gavin was to hear that Jay was leaving, he wondered where he planned to go.

“Where are you going?” he asked anyway. “Let me guess. Atlanta?”

“Yeah,” Jay said dismissively, and finished counting his money.

Gavin stood for a few more minutes. Jay’s cell phone was on the dresser near Gavin. The display lit up, catching Gavin’s attention. Seconds later, the phone rang and Mia’s name came up on the display. Gavin wondered what they had to talk about. As Jay continued counting and stashing away his money, Gavin shook his head and walked out.

“I don’t have a choice!”               Gavin heard Jay yell from inside the room after he finally decided to pick up the phone.

About a half hour later, Jay emerged with his suitcase in hand, holding tightly to the duffle containing his life savings. Gavin stood up from the couch and stepped over to him.

“You’re leaving now?” he asked. “What happened to you leaving tomorrow?”

“Change of plans. Thanks for letting me rest my head here for the past few weeks. I’ll get that money back to you.”

Without another word, Gavin watched as Jay called the elevator and boarded. They didn’t even bother to make eye contact as the doors closed between them. Invisible weights fell from Gavin’s shoulders. Then his mind carried him back to the kiss.

Chapter
26

Mia

“This is such a beautiful home. It must be so hard to leave it,” the real estate agent said. “Will you need me to help you find another home in the area?”

Mia put on a show for the real estate agent, acting like the happily married wife. She had done her homework finding an agent who didn’t regularly serve the athletes and celebrities throughout Atlanta.

Mia fell right into character. “No. My husband’s job is taking us to the west coast.” She looked at Jay and smiled.

Jay returned a half smile, not appearing to be as convincing as Mia. When the agent’s back was turned, she widened her eyes at Jay.

“I love the west. Good luck with the move,” the agent said, making small talk. “So, we are all done here. You do want to go with our multiple-listing service, correct?”

“Actually, no! I’d like for this listing to remain exclusive,” Mia requested. “I don’t want any “For Sale” signs outside or anything like that, either. We need for this sale to happen as quickly and quietly as possible. Time is of the essence, and we need to get to the west coast as soon as we can.”

“Okay, no problem. Shall I set up an open house? That’s one way we can move the process along quickly, especially with an exclusive listing. The more customers we can get in, the faster we can try to get this lovely home sold.”

“That would be perfect. When would you suggest we do the open house?”

“We can do it next weekend, if you like.”

“Oh, I’ll be out of town.” Mia pretended to think for a moment, while Jay remained silent. “Actually, you don’t need us here, do you?”

“We can show the house without you being present,” the agent offered.

“Great. Let’s do that. I don’t want to hold up the process with all of our traveling back and forth for this move.”

“Good choice. And don’t worry, I’ll take care of everything.” The agent smiled. “All I need now is your signature here and here, Mr. and Mrs. Mack,” she said, marking on the contract where the signatures were required.

Jay and Mia signed the papers to sell Blue and Jay’s Atlanta home. Thanks to an old friend of Jay’s, they were able to get their hands on a fake license that placed Mia’s face beside Blue’s credentials.