Love in Play

by Zuri Day

  “So talk to me, Miss Dom,” he said, once he’d plopped his hard, round derrière into the seat facing Dominique. “What’s going on, girl?”

  “I’m having a bit of an issue with Justin’s football coach,” Dominique replied.

  “That fine, strapping, corn- and beef-fed, weightlifting brothah?” Reggie uncrossed his legs, shifted, and recrossed them. “I can think of a few issues I’d like to have with that man.”

  Dominique laughed in spite of her bad mood. That’s why she kept Reggie around and put up with his antics. Not only was he a top-notch administrative assistant, but he was always good for putting a smile on her face—a job she’d be the first to admit wasn’t always easy.

  “Okay, here’s what happened,” she began, before giving Reggie the skinny on how Jake refused to divulge what had been discussed in the conversation between him and her son. “Am I being too sensitive, Reggie? Or, as his mother, don’t you think I have a right to know what my son talked to him about?”

  Reggie took a sip from his ever-present latte. “Well, Miss Dom, there’s two ways to look at this scenario. On one hand, your boy is showing character by not wanting to break a confidence. But on the other hand...” Reggie arched his eyebrow and placed a manicured set of fingers in the air.

  “On the other hand, what?”

  “Let me ask you this. How often does Justin see his father?”

  Dominique’s eyes narrowed as she leaned back and matched Reggie’s question with one of her own. “Why would you ask that?”

  “Don’t take it personally,” Reggie said, his hands raised against her ire. “I know you’re a great mom but...”

  “But what?”

  “But I know what it’s like to grow up without a dad. Even with all the love I got from Mama, Grandma, and all my aunties, I sometimes wished there’d been a man around.”

  Dominique crossed her arms and sighed. “Justin wishes that, too.”

  Seeing how upsetting his comment had been, Reggie continued, “But then again, all kids are different—”

  “Not Justin,” Dominique interrupted. “He’s like you in that respect. He wishes Jake was his father.”

  “He told you that?”

  “He told Jake who, by the way, didn’t bother sharing this not-so-little tidbit of information with me.”

  “Then how did you find out?”

  “The other night when Justin became upset with me. He mumbled it under his breath.”

  “Oh, Miss Dom, a kid will say anything when he’s angry.”

  “He meant it.”

  “Well... maybe the child will get what he’s wishing for; I know for a fact that you’re really feeling this dude.”

  “And how do you know that?”

  “Girl, please. It’s written all over your face. I can tell whenever you’ve been with him because you come in here beaming like Venus on a clear night.”

  “I won’t deny that I’m very fond of him, Reggie. Jake is definitely someone with whom I could fall in love. But I’m just not willing to take the chance on things not working out and Justin being hurt again. I remember the days and weeks after Kevin left. Justin was so sad. He cried himself to sleep that first night, and then begged me to call Kevin and ask him to come back. I finally decided to tell him the truth, that Kevin had stolen from Mommy. He didn’t want to believe me and when he finally did, I felt bad for telling him. Kevin had betrayed me, but to Justin, it was as if he was the one who’d been wronged. And to a degree, he had. In stealing from me, Kevin betrayed the trust that Justin had placed in him as a father figure. In Justin’s young eyes, no man who cared about him would do that to his mom.” Dominique was silent for a while, remembering that difficult period in her and her son’s life. “It was awful,” she concluded. “It was months before Justin was back to his old self. I swore that I’d never, ever, put him through anything like that again. And I meant it.”

  “I can understand you wanting to protect your child,” Reggie said. “But try not to be over-protective. Don’t deny his relationship with Jake based on what might happen. Life’s too short for that, Miss Dom. Besides, there are worse role models for Justin than a strapping football coach who has a thing for his mother and whose mother has a thing right back. Trust me, I know.”

  Dominique spent the next hour finding more out about her assistant than she’d ever known: that his grandmother had whipped him for being a “sissy”; that he’d held fashion shows for his aunts and dressed in their clothes; and that a twenty-something neighbor’s son had introduced Reggie to sex when he was just ten years old. Time flew, and before either of them realized, it was time for the weekly editorial and pitch meeting.

  For Dominique, a business luncheon followed and an afternoon of editing, reading and researching went by in a blur. But as she left the office and headed for a dinner engagement with a well-known, plus-size model, one thought remained and kept playing itself over and over in her head. It was Reggie’s not-so-innocuous question: How often does Justin get to see his father? And then, his telling comment: There are worse role models for Justin... trust me, I know.

  27

  Jake eyed the caller ID and thought twice about taking the call. He picked up begrudgingly, knowing that he was in for a grilling. “Yo, bro.”

  “Hey, Jake,” Harold replied. “What’s going on with you, man?”

  “Who says anything is going on?”

  “Ha! Do you really want me to answer that question?”

  “Yes, humor me.”

  “I’ve known you all your life, Jake, and when your phone calls get sporadic that means that something is going on. Besides, you didn’t participate in this week’s football blog. It’s not often that you put a C-spot on the line in the betting pool and then don’t show up on the chat for some trash talk when your team wins.”

  “I told y’all that the Chiefs were coming back,” Jake replied, knowing that he’d bet on a team that in a lot of fans’ minds was still a big question mark. “The new quarterback is on point, and their line is solid.”

  “Yeah, yeah, who asked you?” Harold said, still smarting from his loss. “Just be ready to give me back my money when Vick takes the field next week.”

  “Vick is washed up,” Jake responded. “So get ready to give me some more of your cash.”

  “Don’t start counting my dollars yet, bro. But what I really want to know is why you were MIA tonight. Your girl got you so sprung that you can’t hang out with the fellas?”

  My girl. Jake all but snorted at Dominique’s fitting that definition. Because, without exception, Dominique Clark was the most stubborn, opinionated, strong-willed woman that he’d ever met. Which is what so exasperated him, and turned him on. She was also the warmest, smartest, most titillating woman he’d ever known. Which is what further exasperated him, and turned him on. She hadn’t stayed after the game on Saturday and hadn’t called, and when he’d finally given in to his desires and phoned her on Sunday, she’d informed him that she’d be spending the day in LA, with her family. Jake had thought about contacting one of his old hookups, had even toyed with the idea of calling the reporter who’d given him her cell number. But in his mind, none of the substitutes could replace the original. He wanted Dominique. He needed to sex her a few more times, get her totally out of his system. And then he needed to move on to someone who was more his speed, someone who in his mind wasn’t trying to take the pants off of him and wear them.

  “Did you hear what I said, Jake?”

  “Oh, sorry, man. I got distracted.”

  “I asked what you were betting on next week’s game.”

  “Another hundred, might as well not stop while I’m on a roll.” Jake looked at the clock. “I need to run, Harold, and make a phone call.”

  “To Dominique?”

  “No, the Raiders. The front office called me today. I need to see what’s up. And thanks for calling, Harold. I love you like a brother.”

  “I am your brother, fool.”

  J
ake laughed.

  Harold joined in. “Okay, bro. Do your thing. But I’ve got dibs if they’re calling you about some premium suite tickets. You know me and my wife are overdue for a trip to the West Coast. We can come over and hang out with you and this chick that’s got you twisted.”

  “Man, you’re trippin’.”

  “No. You are. And don’t think I haven’t noticed that you have yet to bring her around the family. I’d say that it’s time for all of us to meet, get to know each other.”

  “Whatever, man. I’ll call you later in the week.”

  “Okay, later.”

  Jake hung up from talking with his brother and called Damien Jones, one of his best friends and a former Oakland Raider teammate. “Yo, dog, what up?” he said, when Damien’s deep bass voice echoed through the receiver.

  “Big Mac!” Damien replied. “I’m just a squirrel in your world, man. Nothing to it but to do it, know what I’m saying?”

  Jake nodded, with a big smile on his face. He and Damien had shared some amazing times together, both on and off the field. They each had enough on the other to set up a big-time blackmail, but when it came to the antics of their ballplayer days, their lips were sealed. “Yeah, I know.”

  “So what’s up, Big Mac? You coming to the ceremony this Sunday or what?”

  “That’s why I called, to find out what was going on.”

  “They want us to be a part of the halftime celebration.”

  “Oh, yeah?”

  “Yeah, man, honoring some of us former stars. They’ve got that stuff twisted for real, dog, because my star is still lighting up Oaktown.”

  Jake laughed, and got up to grab a cool bottle of water from the fridge.

  Damien continued, “I guess when it comes to that former nonsense they’re looking at your name on the list.”

  “Okay, my man has jokes. I was the heartbeat of the defensive line, as you, our opponents, and the record books will attest.”

  “I can’t even lie about that, dog,” Damien readily agreed. “You held it down! So that’s what’s up this weekend; a big shindig on Saturday night, followed by a presentation at halftime. Sounds like it’s going to be pretty cool and they gave us eight guest passes each, along with a badge for total access. My boys are crazy excited about going and Alison is, too, although she’s trying to act all nonchalant and whatnot.”

  “Alison has been trying to act like that since she saw you in the college cafeteria. I’m convinced that her not paying you any attention is how she became your wife.”

  “Ha! You’re probably right about that. You know I always relished a challenge.” Damien paused, and took a swig from his bottle of beer. “So who are you dating now, dog? Grab her and a few of your friends, maybe some of your students, and let’s get down in Oaktown next weekend.”

  “I’ll think about it,” Jake responded.

  “Don’t even think about being a no-show,” Damien countered. “Other wise I’ll spill some of those secrets that would best be left unsaid.”

  “Let’s not start on who’s got the most dirt to dish. Remember the blond twins who were double-jointed?”

  “Aw, man!” Damien exclaimed. “Don’t remind me and please... don’t ever let Alison hear that story!”

  “All right then, don’t play.”

  “It’ll be good to see you, man.”

  “Me, too, dog. I’ll see you at the game.”

  28

  “Hey, baby, it’s me.” Jake leaned back in his office chair. He’d shaken off the discomfort that Dominique’s lack of calling had brought about and even though she hadn’t returned his phone calls in three days, decided to be the bigger person. “You must be busy.”

  “Why would you think that?”

  Jake heard paper rustling in the background and imagined Dominique poring over an article with those cute reading glasses she sometimes wore perched on her nose. “Because you’ve left me hanging like a red-headed stepchild, that’s why,” he easily countered. Truth be told, his bruised ego was smarting over the fact that Dominique could spend so many days without him. “I haven’t heard from you. I miss you.”

  “It’s a crazy time,” Dominique said. “Our offices pretty much shut down during the holidays so the next few weeks are crucial to getting our spring and summer issues into press.”

  “So that’s it? You haven’t called me or returned your calls only because you’re busy?”

  “Exactly.” It sounded like Dominique knew she was busted, but figured that being busy was her story and she was sticking to it. “Why did you call, Jake?”

  “Well, aside from the fact that the only way we’d talk is if I called you, I wanted to know what you and Justin were doing this weekend.”

  “The usual. After the game, I’ll be at work and he’ll visit his cousin in LA.”

  “Michael?” Aw, hell. Belatedly, Jake realized that knowing Michael’s name was a dead giveaway to at least part of what Justin had shared with him.

  “So that is what you two talked about. Justin told you about him and his cousin gawking at naked girls.”

  “Please, Dominique. Let’s not go there. Justin has mentioned his cousin on several occasions. He’s talked about how good a quarterback he is, and how he, too, has dreams of going pro.” This was a true statement, but it was also true that Jake was aware of Michael’s role in Justin’s maturation. He decided that there were worse crimes than lying by omission. “Justin’s doing much better in math,” he continued, making no bones about changing the subject. “But then, I’m sure you’re aware of the A he got on his last test.”

  “He was very proud of that grade,” Dominique conceded. “I’m sure that came in no small part to your tutoring efforts. And even though it’s obvious that you’re changing the subject... thank you for taking time with him.”

  “It is my pleasure to tutor those kids. And you’re welcome.” Feeling that he’d once again sidestepped one of the bones of contention between them, Jake got down to the business of his call. “I asked what Justin was doing this weekend because I’ve been invited to a special tribute for next Sunday’s Raiders game in Oakland. I’d like to take Justin with me. And I’d like—”

  “An overnight trip?” Dominique interrupted. She sounded suspicious.

  “We’d leave on Saturday morning and return after the game on Sunday night. It would mean a late night for the boys, but I figure one night’s lack of sleep won’t kill them.”

  “Boys? Who else is going? You know what, it doesn’t even matter. I’ve already made plans for Justin. He can’t go.”

  “Trust me, Dominique. Justin would rather come on this trip, no matter what other plans you’ve made.”

  “Listen, I have another call coming. Thanks for the invite, Jake, but I’m going to have to pass on this one.”

  Several hours later, Dominique pulled into her garage and closed the door. She sat there for a few moments, trying to still the discomforting feelings roiling inside her. She’d been on edge ever since Jake’s phone call. Actually, Dominique realized, she’d been edgy for about a week now, the time that had passed since she and Jake last made love. Throughout the day, she’d gone back and forth with her decision not to let Justin go to Oakland. On one hand, she knew that Justin loved the Raiders. And to attend the game with Jake, a former Raiders star? For her son, it would be like a dream come true. But on the other hand, Dominique knew that a shared experience such as this one would only deepen Justin’s feelings for Jake, make it even easier for Justin to imagine him in a fatherly role. And it would only deepen the pain if things didn’t work out, and Jake stopped being a part of their lives.

  Dominique reached for the phone, but just as quickly changed her mind. Since her conversation with Reggie, she’d left two messages for Justin’s father to call his son. But so far, Leland hadn’t responded. And that’s if he even received the messages. Dominique wouldn’t for a moment put it past Leland’s wife to delete the messages and not tell him about them. Since last year, w
hen Patricia had considered a message Dominique left on his cell phone inappropriate, Dominique only had contact through their home number. Dominique had felt that calling Leland to wish him “Happy Father’s Day,” and to remind him that the son living under his roof was not his firstborn, had been totally appropriate. Flying to Dallas and whipping his inattentive ass would have been inappropriate. But then again, maybe not. Maybe I haven’t been aggressive enough when it comes to Leland being involved in Justin’s life.

  As Dominique left the office and headed home, the conversation with Jake was still on her mind, as was her questioning whether the decision to not let Justin go to Oakland had been the right one. And then came one final thought as she pulled into the garage:

  Was it possible that Justin knew about the trip, and would therefore know she had forbidden it? No. There’s no way Jake would tell these kids about the trip before talking to the parents. Dominique sighed as she reached for the door handle. At least I won’t have to deal with an upset son, she thought.

  As soon as she stepped from the garage into the kitchen, she knew she’d thought wrong.

  29

  First of all, the house was deathly quiet, something highly unusual at seven PM. She normally came in to the sounds of the TV blasting with a movie or video game and/or Tessa playing some of the pop, hip-hop or reggaeton music she loved.

  Dominique placed her purse and briefcase on the island in the kitchen and reached for the mail that sat there. “Tessa? Justin? I’m home!”

  Tessa rounded the corner. “Hey, Dominique,” she said, her greeting subdued. “I was in the study, organizing your library.”

  Dominique rifled through the mail. “Where’s Justin?”

  Tessa was only partly successful at stifling a sigh. “In his room.”

  Dominique looked at Tessa, eyes narrowing. “What’s wrong?”

  “He’s really upset.”

  “About what?” Dominique asked, although she well knew the answer.