by Ju Ephraime
In the lobby, she purposely kept her eyes front to avoid seeing Earline if she just happened to be there. But she was lucky. She didn’t hear her name called, so she relaxed as she prepared herself to have a good time.
Foxx had the hotel valet hold his vehicle while he went up to her room, so it was waiting at the lobby door when they stepped outside.
In no time, they were speeding away from the hotel onto the highway. “Where are we going, and what are we going to see?” she asked.
“Centre Dramatique Regional. You have a choice, a musical or a drama,” Foxx replied.
“I’ll pick the drama. I’m not a big musical fan, but I could use some drama,” she replied with a brief laugh.
“There’s a restaurant in the theater. We’ll have dinner there. I cannot promise the best, but we’ll pick something simple. That way they can’t mess it up.”
“Are you hungry?” she asked.
“Do you have to ask?” He laughed.
“I forgot; you are always hungry. I believe you have tapeworms,” she rejoined.
“You are my tapeworm. You take all my energy. So I have to replenish often if I’m to keep up with you,” he replied. “But I love it. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“Only with you.”
“Oh, be still my heart.”
The sun was setting, and the entire sky was painted in glorious shades of red and yellow. She loved this time of day on the island. The sunsets were like nothing she’d ever seen before, and she had done her share of traveling.
Foxx made an illegal turn in the road, not waiting for the light to change. “What’s the hurry?”
“We don’t have a lot of time before the show, and I want to hear all about your talk with Earline.”
“You won’t believe it when I tell you. Even if you tried in a million years, you won’t guess it.”
“What do you want to bet?”
“I’m not betting with you; you always win. Anyway, I believe we have arrived.”
“Indeed.”
Pulling up to the curb in front of the building, he handed the keys to the valet who came up to the vehicle. Stepping out, Foxx came over to her side to assist her out. She loved all these little things about him. He made her feel like a queen.
They walked into the restaurant and were immediately shown to their table. Foxx didn’t even have to give his name. She guessed he was a regular customer.
He ordered a seafood stuffed crab and stewed conch, accompanied by a sweet, fruity white wine. She ordered white rice, curry chicken and sweet and savory mango chutney to cool the heat of the curry. No sooner had the waitress taken their orders than he turned to her with his customary raised eyebrow.
“Now do you want to tell me what your talk with Earline was about?”
“You are so impatient.”
He was impatient? She had no idea the strain he’d been under from the time he’d learned Earline was back on the island. He hadn’t slept a wink after he’d left her hotel in the wee hours of the morning.
He’d tried to burn off some energy in the gym, and when that didn’t work, he had run ten miles around the track. The suspense was killing him, but he tried to appear cool and composed while she took her sweet time giving him the information he so desperately needed.
“She came to try to talk me into returning back to England with her because she’s in love with me and has been from the first time she met me. How’s that for a shocker?”
This was not what he’d been guessing at all. He’d thought she had come to talk Therèse into leaving him again.
To admit to being shocked was putting it mildly. He was left with his mouth hanging open, and it took Therèse telling him, “Pick your mouth off the floor,” for him to realize what his expression must look like. Never, never in a million years would he have guessed this woman had the hots for Therèse—his Therèse? Earline didn’t even look gay, whatever “looking gay” meant.
To his inexperienced eyes, she seemed like a very nice girl, not his type, but nice nonetheless. What had made her think his passionate Therèse would welcome her advances?
Something was not right, but he couldn’t put his finger on what was not clicking about this. Earline had Therèse changing her room, doing all these crazy things just to stay out of her way. If Earline persisted on pursuing this, he’d have to interfere. He had no intention of allowing her to disrupt the fragile bond between him and Therèse.
chapter
TWENTY-FIVE
Initially, he had set out to hurt her, to make her experience the pain she had put him through when she’d left him with no logical reason. He could still relive the loss he felt when he realized there was never going to be a Therèse for him because she had chosen her friends over him.
Now one of these same friends was back, and he felt threatened all over again. He was so overcome with emotion that his eyes stung with tears as he stared at her. It seemed as if he couldn’t relax his guard. There was always a threat to him and Therèse being together.
This news from Therèse had been so shocking for him that he’d lost his appetite. When the meal came, he could only push the food around on his plate. What did this mean for him now? He had long come to realize he couldn’t hurt Therèse. He couldn’t even bring himself to hate her.
“What’s the matter, Foxx? Don’t allow Earline’s presence on the island to ruin our time together because, if you do, then she will have won.”
“That’s easy for you to say, Therèse. You aren’t the one who’s just been told you are in a competition with someone else, someone, who not too long ago, won hands-down. I was not even a choice. The decision was made for me whether I wanted it or not.”
“You aren’t in a competition, Foxx. There is no competition. It’s a foregone conclusion who the winner is, you.”
He was used to being in control. Until he met Therèse, never had he experienced such a level of insecurity.
She leaned over and gave him a kiss on the corner of his mouth. She started to pull back, but he turned his head and captured her lips in a delicious kiss tasting of wine.
He wrapped his arm around her waist and held her for a long moment, resting his head in the crook of her neck, breathing in her familiar scent.
A ragged breath moved through him as he realized, regardless of what she thought, he had a fight on his hands. He refused to believe Earline had taken this trip only to quietly turn around and leave because Therèse asked her to. But right now they didn’t have the time to discuss the matter. They had to take their seats. The play was about to begin.
He prompted her. “We have to hurry if we want to make it before the first act. We have to finish this conversation later.”
“Do we have to? I prefer not spending my time with you talking about Earline.”
“Therèse, don’t treat this as a joke. If this woman could follow you all those thousands of miles from Bedfordshire, England, she will not go away gently.”
Then a thought occurred to him, but he didn’t want to ruin the mood, so he decided to question her later.
They made it to their seats just before the curtain rose. She saw that there were three sections to the theater. She and Fox were on the top-third section, which was made up of individual boxes. The one they were shown to, evidently belonged to the LaCasse family; LaCasse was written on the door. That explained why Foxx was given preferential treatment; he was a patron of the arts.
“Obviously, this is your family’s box.”
“It started out that way, but now, I’m the only one who uses it. My parents aren’t enamored with the selections, and Wolfe was never into the arts. My sister and her husband are too far away, so that leaves me. I make a point to go to a show at least once a month.”
“Are you telling me you attend the theater alone once a month?”
“Yes, I do.”
“That’s incredible.”
“What’s so incredible about that?”
“I find it a little amazing that you’
re able to sit in here all by your lonesome and enjoy a play.”
“You’ll be even more amazed when I tell you I enjoy it tremendously. I happen to like my own company, and being here in seclusion gives me time to lose myself in whatever play or show is going on. I’m always surrounded by people, at soccer, at the restaurant, and even when I try to be alone. Inevitably, someone recognizes me, and my space is invaded. Here, no one is allowed unless accompanied by me.”
“You poor baby.”
The lights began to blink, signaling the first act, and he gave her a glance that told her he would show her just who the poor baby was.
That didn’t stop him from giving her a heated kiss, which had her running her fingers through his hair to keep him kissing her until she was good and ready to release him. This continued until the third and final act, when they agreed by unspoken consent to postpone this activity for another time so they could watch the show.
That turned out to be a bad idea because neither one could concentrate on the show: Therèse, because she couldn’t keep her hands off him, and Foxx, because he couldn’t keep his mouth away from her.
The production was interesting and entertaining, but she was aware only of Foxx sitting next to her. He would cause his hand to brush over her breast repeatedly, as if by accident, keeping her excited and on the edge through the entire show.
By the time the show finally ended, smoke was coming out of her ears. Foxx had been so inventive with his hands that she was burning up.
Therèse wanted to rip her clothes off. Her panties were damp and sticking to her while her bra was irritating her nipples. She was one hot mess while he looked as cool as a cucumber. The only visible signs of his discomfort were the harsh lines around his mouth and the way his eyes were heavy and slumberous.
When the valet brought the car to them, she couldn’t wait to get in to be on her way back to the hotel. She was not going to Foxx’s home because she wanted to be certain Earline had left or was in the process of leaving the island.
“Why do you have to be monitoring her? Leave the woman alone. She made her way here; she can make her way back.”
“You don’t understand, Foxx. We are a group of sisters. I don’t want to create any bad blood in the group. I’d like for Earline to leave just as she arrived, so I have to make certain she’s okay, even if I’m uncomfortable doing it. I also want to talk with her some more to see that she leaves the island tomorrow. Only then will I be able to relax.”
“Wow, she does have a strong influence on you. No, don’t deny it,” he said, holding up his hand.
“She doesn’t have any influence on me, Foxx. If you’re referring to my decision before to leave, it was not because anyone influenced me. I was scared. I was scared out of my wits. So when they all suggested I leave without meeting you to discuss the situation, I did, and that was my mistake. I should’ve listened to my inner voice. But I was younger then and in unfamiliar territory. I‘m a big girl now. I make my own decisions.”
“You are. Let’s see how big a girl you are when she begins to apply pressure on you to return home with her.”
“I’ll be right here tomorrow and the next day and the next; the only one who could make me leave this place is you.”
“We’ll see,” was all he would say.
Heading back to the hotel, Foxx drove like a man possessed. She tried to hold firmly to her updo, but in the end, she took the clip off and allowed her hair to fall free. She saw him glance at her before hitting the button to raise the top.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to mess up your hair, but I feel as if I’m burning up.”
“That’s okay. I’m ready to enjoy the breeze with you, so you don’t have to raise the top on my account.”
In no time, they pulled up in front of the hotel. The fact that he didn’t give the key to the valet told her he didn’t intend to spend any time with her. Foxx had already told her he wasn’t comfortable sleeping in the hotel, and she knew he was upset with her for insisting on staying there tonight.
In all fairness, he did accompany her up to the room and saw that she was okay. He gave her a quick kiss and rushed out the hotel as if the devil himself were after him.
She undressed and made herself a cup of tea before settling down with her book. But it was difficult to concentrate, and Therèse found she was reading the same page over and over. Picking up her phone, she started to call Foxx to ask him to come and get her but hung up before the call went through.
But she was still having difficulty settling down. Her body was charged and sexually aroused by all the touching and feeling that Foxx had subjected her to at the theater. She knew there was no way she was going to be able to fall asleep without having him make love to her.
Who was she kidding? He knew what he was doing when he aroused her to the point of release, only to leave her to stew in her own juices, literally. She hit redial, and he picked up on the first ring.
Without giving him an opportunity to talk, she just said, “Come and get me.”
Foxx wasn’t surprised. It took him a minute to realize that she’d hung up without waiting for his response. Great, he had her just where he wanted. He’d intended to let her suffer a bit, as punishment for putting him through this…this uncertainty. But he’d realized, on the drive back home earlier, making Therèse suffer was making himself suffer equally and, sometimes, such as tonight, even more so. He just didn’t have it in him to punish her. She was too important to him.
chapter
TWENTY-SIX
After taking a cold shower, he poured himself a drink of brandy and proceeded to sip it in front of the television for want of something better to do.
This woman had him by the nose. He knew it, but there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it. She was in his blood like a drug, and there was no getting away from it, not that he wanted to.
Finishing his drink, he pulled on a T-shirt and some shorts, grabbed his keys, and made his way to the garage. He pointed his car toward the other side of town to pick up his woman. There was no denying it—she was his woman.
He grooved to the sounds of Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Make Love Tonight.” Boy, he was going to make love tonight. He was already savoring his victory when he pulled up to the hotel.
He was so excited that he didn’t ride the elevator. He took the stairs two at a time.
He was on the landing of the fourth floor when he heard a muffled voice. He stopped and pressed his ear to the door, and sure enough, it was Therèse’s voice.
He could also hear another voice, clearly giving instructions. “Stop moving or you’ll get hurt.” He heard Therèse respond, but he couldn’t understand what she said. She sounded like she had a wad of tissues stuffed down her throat, so her voice sounded all muffled and croaky.
Something was terribly wrong with his Therèse. Without much conscious thought, he went into battle mode as he looked around for a spot to conceal his presence. There really was no place to hide. The stairwell was well lit and narrow, so his only option was to remain behind the door.
He could hear the sound of approaching footsteps more clearly now, and it was definitely more than one person.
Someone was giving orders. “I said stop moving or you’ll get hurt.”
He didn’t recognize the voice, and then he heard Therèse sounding a bit clearer now that she was on the other side of the door. He still couldn’t make out what she was saying, but there was definitely something wrong with Therèse. Someone was hurting her. The rage hit him so hard that, for a brief moment, all he could see was a red haze as he prepared himself to take down whoever walked through the door.
He had to force himself to remain calm. He didn’t know who would be walking through the door first, and he could not risk hurting Therèse. It was the longest minute of his life as he waited for the door to open.
He now understood the way Wolfe would get into those powerful, uncontrollable rages. He found it was almost impossible to remain still be
hind the door without moving.
When he saw the door handle turning, he squeezed himself against the wall; there was just enough space to allow the door to open. As the door opened more fully, what he saw caused the red haze to return to his vision.
This time he embraced the anger and allowed it to take over. He didn’t know he’d moved, but in the next instance, he was attacking the bitch. He could not just knock her out, as he wanted to, because he had to be careful she didn’t pull the trigger. So, he had to perform a balancing act like a circus performer, taking her out, without her harming Therèse.
Earline had a gun in her hand, and it was pointed at Therèse, but when he came at her, she had no other choice but to release Therèse to try to defend herself.
His mouth had gone dry, and sweat had broken out on his face, running down and almost blinding him. He’d never been in a fight with a woman before, and of course, this one had to have a gun pointed at the one person who was more precious to him than life.
He’d seen characters in movies try to talk their way out of situations like this, but he was too scared and angry to take that approach. And he hated the bitch too much to try engaging her in dialogue.
Even though she couldn’t see Foxx because of the sack Earline had over her head, Therèse could sense when he moved even though he did it very stealthily. Not being able to see, she felt the movement of the air every time she shifted. Also, she could hear Earline breathing hard to her left. She was aware that he could not make a move to try to disarm Earline, not while she had the gun pointed at her.
Biding her time, and praying Foxx would react on cue, she faked a misstep and threw herself down. Earline reacted just as she’d hoped she would. She reached down and grabbed her.
This was apparently just the opening he was waiting for because the next thing she heard was a snapping sound, and someone rolling down the stairs. There was a loud explosion as the gun went off.