Page 24

“When we were teenagers, we talked about our lives in the future and how we’d probably work out if it never worked between anyone else.

He knew he was going to the league. Groupies didn’t interest him.

Never had. He wanted something real. We made a pact…

Well, he made a promise to come find me if he wasn’t in a committed relationship.

“He promised to give us a try in hopes of marrying me and sharing children. Mainly because he would know that our love was genuine and not because of his status or fortune. When he turned twenty-four, he was at my doorstep with flowers. We dated for a year before he dropped to his knee and asked me to be his wife.”

“I agreed. But, now it feels like our paths are just not aligned. But, undoubtedly, I know he’s the best person I’ll ever find. The safest, so I want us to work. Most days . He keeps my worries at bay. He’s not a cheater. An abuser. A manipulator. He’s as real as they come.”

She shook her head.

“I’m dropping all of this information on you– ugh . I’ve totally overshared. I’m probably going to regret running you off all night, but fuck it. I don’t have any girlfriends to talk to. It’s work. Home. Work. Home. Sorry I ran off like that.”

The waitress appeared.

“Is there anything I can get for you ladies?”

I nodded. “Yes. A glass of water, please.”

“I ordered water because you said you don’t drink.”

“Thank you,” I told her and turned back to the waitress. “Water, please.”

“Coming right up. Would you like anothe–”

“Yes. Another one of these.”

“I’ll be back with those.”

“Thank you,” Aliza said.

She finished off her drink and pushed the glass to the edge of the table.

“Anyway, I’m so rude. You have the floor now.” She chuckled. “I feel like I’ve taken up all of your time.”

“You’re fine.”

“Now, what’s on your mind.”

“I respect your efforts, trying to cultivate a friendship… a bond of some sort. But, I can’t be your friend, Aliza.”

With crinkled brows, she leaned in closer.

“I’m sorry– what?” She snickered. “What happened? Did I do something? Why not?”

“Saint.”

“Saint?” She asked, “ Saint? ”

“It doesn’t feel like it’s going to work between you two because it won’t,” I informed her.

Confused, she continued listening.

“Because he wasn’t meant to marry you.”

Her neck reeled back as her face contorted.

“I can’t shake your hand, smile in your face, and chit chat over lattes knowing that the man you’re taking for granted is everything I’ve ever dreamt of.

Literally and figuratively. When our time comes and he realizes what I’ve known for years now, I don’t want to make an enemy of you.

I’m no enemy you want to have, Aliza. And, I don’t mean that lightly.

“I will not and have not pursued your fiancé in any way and won’t as much as acknowledge him while you’re together, so there’s no need to make a fuss here, now, or anywhere – especially the theater .

But, there will come a day when things in my life will begin to align, which means things in your life are shifting, whether for the good or the bad.

“One of those will be your relationship status and mine. Friendship between us would prolong my happiness and plague me with guilt that I’m not accustomed to or interested in taking on.

So, as a woman, I am telling you that I can not be your friend because when it’s all said and done, I will be Rome… Rome De Bacco , wife of Saint.

“I’ll bear his children gladly while still landing every plié, battement, tendu, ronde de jambe, passé, and every other position I’m required. Because, I understand I can marry my world and his without giving up my dream or his. Naturally, they compliment each other.”

My water arrived. The waitress sat it on the table and handed Aliza her drink. She didn’t wait to sip it. She finished it in one gulp and requested another one.

“Rome–” she paused, rubbing the back of her neck. “How do you expect me to take this?”

She was beet red. I could hear her heartbeat across the table. I sipped my water, allowing my words to settle with her.

“However you want, Aliza.”

I gripped the handle of my purse.

“It was good chatting,” I confessed, feeling the weight resting on my chest lift at once.

As the words left my mouth, August appeared beside me.

“Balle–” he began.

“I understand.”

I stood from my chair and stood up. With August behind me, I strutted toward the same door I’d entered thirty minutes prior. Just as I met the threshold, my memory forced my body to turn one hundred and eighty degrees. I headed back to the table where I found Aliza still planted.

I reached into my purse and pulled out the hundred dollar bill Koen had taken from the ATM on the way over. It rested on top of the napkin near the end of the table.

“Aliza,” I called out.

She tilted her head, waiting for whatever was coming from my lips next.

“I think that’s a good idea.”

“What exactly?”

“What you’re thinking– about you all seeing other people.”

With furrowed brows she asked, “When did I say that?”

“You never got a chance, but you were thinking it.”

As she nodded, I turned a final time and headed for the exit again. This time, I crossed the threshold and made it to the truck. Before August opened the door, he halted.

“You did good, Balle,” he said, nodding his head.

“Good?” I asked. “I just told a woman interested in friendship that her relationship would’ve never worked because her fiancé belongs to another woman… that woman happens to be me.”

“A reminder of who you are. You might be sweet, but you’re a Childers to your core, Balle.

For the first time, you’ve openly accepted that side of you.

So, when I say you did good it’s not because of what you said back there.

It’s because you’ve decided that you will have exactly what you want, no matter how you achieve it. ”

“I want to do this the right way, August. Not the Childers way.”

“Sometimes the Childers way is the right way,” he explained, opening the door.

I rested my head against the seat after settling in. His words replayed in my head continuously.

I removed my shoes and made my way down the hallway. The stairs weren’t an option tonight. I pressed the button and the door of the elevator opened within a second. I stepped on, allowing the cool floor to lower my body’s temperature.

I tapped the number two and waited against the railing for the doors to reopen. Once they did, I stepped out and onto the wood. My feet pressed into the floor, silently screaming for relief. However, the thudding between my legs was louder. More profound. More awakening. Utterly irresistible.

Rummaging through the drawers of my vanity, I searched for the only source of pleasure I had at the moment.

Roulette’s fingerprints were all over the contents of my drawers.

She’d thought of everything a girl’s heart desired in her powder room, bathroom, and dressing room. Down to the adult section.

“There.”

At the back of the drawer was the magic wand I was in search of. I nestled it in my palm and returned to my bedroom. My skirt was the first to fall. My shirt was next. I slid my panties down my legs. The lace bra was the last to go.

My nipples pierced the air. They grew harder by the minute, finally reaching the point of pain as I climbed in bed. I pulled the comforter back and settled in on top of the sheets. With my thumb, I powered on the vibrating mechanism made to please women around the world.

My legs spread instinctively. I pressed the vibrator against my clit and rested my back against the softness of my pillows. My body tensed, anxious for relief. I closed my eyes, hoping to find the familiar face behind my lids. I wasn’t disappointed or surprised when he appeared.

There.

There you are .

Ding.

Dong .

I rose from the bed, wiping the sleep from my eyes.

Ding.

Dong .

“Coming–” I whispered as if the person laying on my doorbell could hear me.

It’s after eleven .

I peered at the clock to confirm the timestamp from my internal clock. My accuracy wasn’t unusual.

11:36p.

I slid from my bed, placing both feet on the floor.

Royce. I considered.

Range? No. Definitely not Range.

Roaman? Of course not.

Roulette? Maybe.

Rugger? No. She would’ve been standing over me.

Rather? She is definitely asleep.

Ding.

Dong .

I relaxed my feet in the blush pink mules and headed out of my bedroom. On the way out, I removed the silk robe that matched my slippers and gown. The smell of the Prada perfume I’d spritzed on the fabric tickled my nostrils.

“Uhhhhhhhhh.”

A yawn nearly knocked me down the stairs, but I recovered nicely. My trip down was uneventful. I brushed the sleep from my eyes every step of the way. When I finally pulled the door open, I stepped aside, waiting for my sister to waltz in. Whichever one had decided to drop by at this hour.

The idea of one of them climbing in my bed felt right. I’d enjoy every second of their warmth against me. Next to me. Just like old times.

Seconds passed without a single word. A footstep. A greeting. Nothing .

I stopped wiping my eyes to peer out of the door.

Maybe I’m still dreaming . I thought, rubbing my eyes again. When I stopped, nothing had changed. Everything was still as it was.

Saint stood on my porch with his hand in front of him and an orange bag dangling from his tall frame. His presence left me immobile. How he’d made it past August and Koen left me stunned.

“I’d be lying if I said I was sorry to bother you, Rome. Because, I’m not.”

Finding my voice, I responded, “It’s almost midnight.”

He nodded. “And, I couldn’t fathom letting another night go by without seeing you.”

“S– Saint–” I stuttered.

“You’re stunning.” He sighed, shaking his head, “Even fresh out of bed. It’s insane. You’re insane. And I’m completely and utterly smitten.”

He was intoxicating. It had been two days since meeting Aliza at Andretti’s and I was still trying to wrap my head around the things I’d said to her. Rehearsals had continued, casting a cloud of gloom over us both. Still, however, Aliza was polite and tolerable.

“I made myself clear when I said th–”

“You won’t entertain me as long as I am engaged.”

“Yes.”

“I heard you Rome. I heard you clearly. But–” he paused, stepping forward.

His feet kept moving. My head kept spinning. I expected him to stop when he reached me. But, he didn’t. Before I knew what was happening, he was inside of my home and I was feet away from the door.

“I’ve been driving myself mad thinking about you– what you said– and– everything .”

“Sa–”

“I have been trying to figure it out since I saw you that night on stage. I knew something was different then. My fiancé was next to you most of the night, yet I could only see one person. I was fixated on one person. You . Nothing has changed. It’s only gotten worse.

Except the guilt I felt that night I don’t feel anymore.

It’s vanished. So have my excuses for not pursuing you. ”

I blinked once.

Twice.

Three times.

A fourth and fifth time .

I felt as if I’d consumed a bottle of homemade tequila that had aged over twelve long years. Except it was him. He was the tequila.

“I close my eyes and you’re there. I open them and you’re nowhere to be found. If I could explain that emptiness– that disappointment, I would. But, I doubt I’d find the words to correctly express it.”

“You don’t have to,” I breathed out, finally exhaling. “I’ve suffered for years with the same emptiness.”

“If I was the cause, then you will suffer no longer.”

“You’re engaged, Saint.”

“I’m sorting my shit out, Rome.”

“I was clear.”

“So am I.”

He pushed the bag in my direction.

“I can’t accept that.”

“You can and you will. It’s only a gift. Nothing more.”

I inhaled, taking the bag he was handing me, knowing it was far more than just a gift.

“What’s the envelope?”

“Season passes. There’s not much left of the season, but I want you there for the rest of it regardless.”

“Sai–”

He shifted his weight, grounding himself in my foyer. He didn’t own the place, but one would assume. His confidence was repulsive.

“Bring a friend… or three. There are four passes. I want to see your face every time that ball hits the basket and I put another point up on the board.”

My breath hiked in my throat.

“I’m not a homewrecker.”

“You’re right. My home was wrecked before you touched down. It’s in need of a fixing, and I think you’re the woman for the job.”

“Don’t do that.”

“Don’t do that, then.”

“You’re engaged.”

“You’ve said that already. And as of tomorrow evening, Rome, I will be a free agent.”

He paused, staring at me with those dreamy brown eyes. He kissed the skin of his teeth with a titter. His shoulders lifted and fell.

“Hardly, because I’ve already been scouting and know whose team I’m trying to be on.”

My nostrils flared with emotions. My heart hammered in my chest. The room grew warmer. My palms perspired.

“That’s if she’ll have me.” Saint shrugged a second time.

His beauty was grueling. Agonizing. Treacherous. We’d make such pretty babies.

“Get some rest, pretty. I’ll see you in less than forty-eight hours, though that feels way too long from now. Feet on the wood.”

I had yet to gather my thoughts when he exited my home. His scent lingered. His energy pulled my heartstrings in every direction, causing physical pain.

I watched him disappear into the night, yearning to run after him. To hug him. To kiss him. To tell him just how long I’d waited and how much of myself I’d saved for him.

But, I couldn’t. He wasn’t mine. Not yet. I closed my eyes and allowed the tears to fall.

Finally .

The sound of my door closing snapped me back into reality. A gush of air blew my silk robe in the opposite direction of my body. I stayed grounded, knowing that Koen’s intention was to keep me safe.

I removed the envelope from the Louis Vuitton bag. My heart rate doubled as I dried my eyes to see clearly.

The hunt ended before I knew better. Let the chase begin.

Across it was a handwritten message. Though short, it was profound. My lips curled into a hearty smile as I choked out a chuckle. More tears slipped from my eyes as I nodded.

“Let it.”