Maybe Baby Lite

by ANDREA SMITH

  “When I went downstairs to where I heard the voices, I discovered that my mom and Daniel were in the den off the kitchen. They didn't see me.”

  I faltered, embarrassed and ashamed at what was left to tell. I took a big swallow of my drink and then decided just to blurt it out and be done with it.

  “My mom was on her knees giving Daniel a blow job. I'd prefer not to go into all of the horrible details, but suffice it to say, they enjoyed each other thoroughly that night in every way possible. My mother made Daniel promise to dump me. She said that she wouldn’t tolerate sharing him with me. He said that it was no problem.”

  I took another drink, and bowed my head. Trey reached for my hand.

  “Tylar, it’s no wonder you pushed something like that from your mind. That had to be horrible for you.”

  “It’s not just that Trey. There seems to be all sorts of things that I've repressed, trying to believe in some way that my life was normal. And now, I learn that my mom was never even married to my dad, or anyone else for that matter. Do you know what that makes me?”

  “Tylar, don’t,” he said.

  “I’m not just a bastard, Trey. I’m the bastard daughter of a paid whore!”

  “Tylar,” Trey said firmly, “You're what you've made of yourself despite your mother. Don’t you understand that? You're smart, funny, and kind. Yes, you're also stubborn, willful, and argumentative. But you see, you're your own person and a very beautiful one at that."

  Trey was being so kind. But I worried that he pitied me, and I didn’t want his pity. “Trey, you know as well as I do that my dad might be …what do they call it…one of her tricks?

  “Tylar,” he scolded. “I am not going to sit here and listen to you degrade yourself like that. I mean it.”

  “I've a point to this, Trey, if you'd please bear with me?” He nodded, allowing me to continue. “My point is, whoever this guy was or is there's a reason he set up my trust and kept my mom financially stable for 18 years. I don’t know, maybe the guy has a heart or a conscience or something. I just wish that I knew more.”

  The waitress brought our entrées just as Trey’s cell phone rang. He glanced down, “I have to take this. Will you excuse me? Go ahead and start.” He left the table.

  The waitress put the last plate on the table. I held up my empty glass. “I’d like another, please?”

  I wasn’t sure who Trey was speaking to, but I managed to finish off my next drink without him being any the wiser. He came back and we ate our dinner mostly in silence. I needed to use this time to address something that'd been bothering me. Now that I had some liquid courage, it was the perfect time.

  “Trey,” I said, looking at him directly.

  “Yes?”

  “There’s a bit of confusion as to where I'll be assigned when I get back. The doctor's cleared me, you know. I really want to start working with the horses again.”

  “Tylar,” he answered, in a very serious tone, leaning forward, “I’m apprehensive about you working around all those horses. How would you feel about focusing solely on getting Derringer ready for dressage competition?”

  I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. This was an once-in-a-lifetime chance! But I knew my limitations with dressage. I wasn't to training status. Trey read my mind.

  “We have a dressage trainer starting Monday at the Belle. You'll work with him and he will train you to be a trainer, and also you'll be the one riding Derringer in the competition. He'll get you prepared for that as well.”

  “Oh my God, Trey!” I squealed, jumping up to hug him. “Thank you so much!”

  “It’s not a favor I’m doing for you, Tylar. My plan is that you'll learn and then later you'll train. The competitions have nice purses and I expect you to win for Sinclair Stables.”

  “I will!” I promised, grinning.

  “Good,” he said. “You start at the Belle on Monday.”

  “Will we board Derringer there?”

  “No, I'd prefer he stay in the stables close to you so that you can continue to watch his care. You can ride him over each day on the trail.”

  “Perfect,” I said smiling.

  “Tylar,” Trey said his serious tone returned. “I’m going to be fairly tied up for the next couple of weeks. I really need to be able to depend on you to be careful, be watchful, and focus on Derringer, okay?”

  “Absolutely, Trey. You've nothing to worry about.”

  We left the restaurant and returned to the Crowne Plaza. I got ready for bed. I was waiting to see what exactly Trey had in mind as far as sleeping arrangements. Once I had my pajamas on, ready to hit the sheets, I saw Trey was on his laptop typing away.

  “Are you going to be much longer?” I asked.

  “I’m sorry,” he said, distracted. “Is this disturbing you?”

  “Well, not really,” I replied, kind of embarrassed.

  “Go on to sleep,” he advised. “I’ll be to bed shortly.”

  I crawled under the covers and was asleep within minutes. I never heard Trey come to bed, though I was happy when I awoke the next morning to find he'd held me in his arms as we slept.

  CHAPTER 21

  Everything would be perfect tonight at the Sanctuary, Gina and Ian’s hot-spot club. Gina and I shopped all morning for my birthday celebration, and then we treated ourselves to an afternoon at the spa. We were manicured, pedicured, buffed, and waxed. I'd splurged on sexy skyscraper mirror heels at Gina’s urging. My dress was a tight white strapless number, with a colorful abstract splash print at the top in yellow, fuchsia, indigo, purple, green, and orange. There was a hint of the same splash pattern at the hemline. The satiny fabric had an elastic top and banded hem for a secure fit. I told Gina she would likely have to peel it off of me if I had too much to drink at the party. She laughed wickedly and replied it wouldn’t be her peeling it off of me, with any luck.

  The manicurist had painted my toenails and fingernails in yellow, fuchsia, indigo, purple, green, and orange to blend with the splash print colors of my club dress. Gina had given me a toe ring for my birthday that had a small diamond stud encrusted in the gold band. I loved it.

  Gina’s dress was white at the top with spaghetti straps, and black from the empire waist down. Ruffles with raw edges adorned the bust line, and elastic side shirring ensured a sexy fit, showing all of her curves. She'd expertly done my hair and make-up. I hardly recognized myself when I saw my reflection. She'd piled my hair loosely on top with a bejeweled clip, letting some of the escaping layers cascade out messily. I accessorized with gold dangling earrings, a delicate gold choker, and matching ankle chain.

  I'd stopped short of getting any further body piercings despite Gina’s badgering to do so. I recalled how the belly button piercing had gone over. It seemed like that'd been ages ago instead of just a few short weeks. I couldn’t think about that now. Nothing was going to spoil this night for me. This was my night as Gina had declared it and we'd party ’til we puked if necessary. She'd promised me that my 21st birthday would be one to remember. I'd hold her to that promise. I gave myself one more assessment in the mirror. Gina knocked on the door between our adjoining rooms.

  “It’s unlocked, Gina, come on in,” I yelled. “I’m in the bedroom.”

  Gina’s jaw dropped when she saw me. “You look fucking awesome!” she screeched. “Girlfriend, we're going to rock the house tonight!”

  “Well I'm not sure about that,” I replied, spritzing a small bit of shining mist on my hair. “I’d be content with getting asked to dance once or twice and getting buzzed.”

  “You're thinking too small again, Ty,” she scolded. “What have I told you about that? Anyway,” she continued, “I’ve got another surprise for you, birthday bitch,” she laughed.

  “Oh yeah?” I asked, “I think you've done quite enough, Gina, the rooms, the limo, the toe ring! What's the surprise?”

  “Just maybe some special friends stopping by.”

  “What friends?” I asked.

  �
�If I told you, then it wouldn’t be a surprise now would it? Grab your purse and your cell. The limo awaits us!”

  “Let’s do it!” I exclaimed.

  The white limo pulled up to the overhang of the hotel just as Gina had promised. People in the lobby watched as we clicked across the black marble floor in our spiked heels and club dresses. The limo driver opened the double doors, allowing us to take our seats across from one another. Inside was a flat screen TV, a wet bar, and the typical sound-proof glass divider between the driver and coach area. We settled in and Gina immediately adjusted the climate control, the lighting inside the car, and tuned the stereo in to an all-music satellite station for ’70s and ’80s music. “You're going to hear a lot of this tonight at the Sanctuary,” she explained. “It’s a dance club and what better to dance to then ’80s hits, right? I really think you'll like the emcee and the bands. The sound system alone cost us almost as much as the building.”

  I could tell Gina was proud of what she and Ian had done with the club. They were young and they had really put it all on the line. I was glad to see them succeed. She continued talking about Ian and how his younger brother Piers was in from San Diego. She said that she really wanted me to meet Piers; he was about 25 or 26 she thought, but was certain that he and I'd hit it off. I listened to her go on about Piers and suddenly there was quiet.

  “Stop it,” Gina said abruptly.

  I was totally caught off guard. “Stop what?”

  “You know damn well what, Ty,” she said accusingly. “You've got to stop thinking about Trey or it'll ruin your night.”

  “Who said anything about Trey? I wasn’t thinking about him at all,” I lied.

  “The fuck you weren’t,” she snapped. “You need to let it go, Tylar, forget about Trey. Trey hasn’t called you all week; he's totally blown off your 21st birthday! I don’t get it, is the sex that good?”

  “Look,” I replied, “things are more complicated than that, Gina.” She didn’t need to know we hadn’t had sex yet.

  “What’s so complicated about it? He’s a fucking control freak that wants to pin you to his wall like some butterfly that he’s caught in his net. Does he ever tell you how he feels? Does he ever give you a clue as to where he sees the two of you going?”

  I sighed and remained silent.

  “He doesn’t even ask you to come to Atlanta with him, does he?”

  “Ah, in case you forgot, Gina, I do have a job in Bristol and even if I didn’t, why should I go to Atlanta, anyway?”

  “Because you fucking love the control freak for some inexplicable reason that I cannot guess, well, except that he is gorgeous and rich,” she threw in laughing.

  I gave her a look of warning; she needed to back off a little. “It doesn’t matter how I feel about him anyway,” I replied. “Trey has never once told me that he loves me, so really it’s a moot point.”

  “So, maybe he hasn’t, but he sure as hell wants you tucked away in Bristol, waiting for him when he makes it back occasionally,” she countered. “It just pisses me off that you allow it, too.” She mimicked his voice: “Tylar be here when I get back”; “Tylar, why would you desecrate your navel like that?”; “Tylar get in bed and spread your legs.” Her imitation of Trey’s voice was actually pretty good, but she still didn’t know that Trey and I'd never been sexual.

  “We don’t have that kind of a relationship, Gina. I’ve told you, it’s not that serious.”

  “It doesn’t excuse the fact that he’s not here with you right now does it? It doesn’t excuse the fact that his shit is evidently way more important than your 21st fucking birthday, right?”

  “I suppose,” I said, quietly wanting to change the subject. That wasn't going to happen because Gina was now on a roll, east coast style.

  “Or what about him telling you he’s in fucking Atlanta all this week, what about that? If Ian and I hadn’t had to visit his firm on Tuesday to sign the quit claim deed transferring the Sanctuary into an LLC with one of his partners, you'd never have found out he wasn’t even in the state, would you?”

  “Probably not, Gina,” I replied. “It’s not my style to check up on him.”

  “Well, I’m sorry, friend, but it is my style, at least with a guy like him,” she scoffed.

  Now I was starting to get a little east coast with Gina. “I didn’t ask you to check up on him, Gina, did I? But when he gets back and finds out what you did, he’s going to think I asked you to and I'm just not that worried about where he is or what he does. I don’t roll that way.”

  “Hey,” Gina snapped, but not really pissed, “I don’t do things so as to be obvious about it, Ty. I just happened to ask his assistant if Trey was in, that I was an old neighbor from Bristol, which is sort of the truth.”

  “Okay,” I responded, “so what about when he gets back and his assistant said that an old neighbor was asking about him? He knows that you are I are friends, what conclusion do you think he'll come to then?”

  “No worries, Ty,” she giggled, “I told her a fake name!”

  Oh great, I thought.

  “Besides, that,” she said, “why are you defending him? You’re pissed at him most of the time anyway?”

  “I told you, Gina, we have a complicated relationship. I care deeply for him, but I’m also put off by his need to control me. So, I give him space and looks like he’s giving me mine. You know, it’s not like I expected that he'd do anything for my birthday.”

  “It doesn’t matter, Ty. Let’s not mention the asshole for the rest of the night. Tonight's all about partying!”

  “I’m not the one who brought his name up in the first place,” I pointed out. “I’m with you; this is my night that you've made possible. I love you for it. Please let’s not argue?” I gave her a hug and we finally changed the subject.

  “Hey,” Gina said, “it’s time for a birthday drink for the birthday girl! What’s your poison, Ty?”

  “I'll have vodka sonic!”

  “Okay,” she said, “directions please?”

  “Vodka, soda, a splash of tonic, and lime,” I recited. She mixed up two for us and we raised our glasses. “To an epic night!” we chimed in unison.

  The Sanctuary was located in the trendy Buckhead district of Atlanta. Our limo pulled up to the club’s entrance and idled. The beats from inside filtered out onto the sidewalk and groups of young patrons patiently waited in line; one in, one out. The chauffeur exited our limo and opened the doors for both of us. We took our time stepping out, loving our chance to make an entrance. Guys waiting in the crowd outside let out low whistles as we made our way to the door. Gina led the way, pulling me along behind her. I wasn’t used to the high heels and didn’t feel as steady on my feet as Gina. Once at the door, the bouncer smiled warmly and held the door open.

  Inside, the spacious club was packed. There were various levels of the club with tables, booths, a bar area, and a multi-level dance floor that was already flooded with people. The current live band was playing Pink’s song “So What,” one of my favorites. I noticed that there was a mezzanine that bordered the entire club with two separate staircases leading to it. Gina read my thoughts.

  “Do you want to sit at a table on the mezzanine?” she yelled over the music. “It’s roomier and we can at least hear each other talk!”

  “Sounds good to me,” I yelled.

  We headed up that way and right before we got to the wide staircase, Ian came up to Gina, grabbing her from behind, and gave her a giant kiss. They were so crazy in love, and the surprising thing was they were totally opposite personalities. I had to smile as I watched them in action. Ian stood back and admired how sexy she looked. Then he came over to give me a hug and a “Happy Birthday!”

  “Thank you!” I yelled over all of the noise.

  “You look fantastic, love,” he hollered. I loved his British accent. What a match, Gina from Jersey and Ian from Manchester, England.

  “Thank you!” I yelled. Finally the song stopped and we had a f
ew moments until the next set played.

  “Ian, Ty and I are going to take a table up on the mezzanine. Where’s Piers? I want to introduce him to Tylar.”

  Ian shook his head. “Giner (that was British for Gina I presumed) you need to let things be with that,” he said.

  “Hey Ian, it’s her birthday and she's going to want to dance. Who better than Piers?”

  Ian laughed and smacked her tight ass. “He’ll be along, I’ll send him up. I should be relieved here in about 30 and then join you up there love.”

  “I can hardly wait,” Gina giggled. “C’mon Ty, let’s get some drinks.” Gina got us the VIP table up on the mezzanine. There was an alcove on the mezzanine that was located above the band stage. The mezzanine alcove jutted out a bit over the dance floor, and had its own staircase leading to it. It was semi-private from the rest of the mezzanine. Gina explained it was usually reserved in advance but she and Ian kept it available for us. Gina pushed the button on the wall next to our table to summon our waiter.

  Over the loud music, Gina ordered our drinks. Before we were finished with our first round, Ian and Piers joined us. Piers was extremely good looking and possessed the same hot British accent as Ian. He was about 5'11'' in height, lean build, and had dark, almost black hair that was neatly trimmed in what I'd call a business cut. He had dark brown eyes, and a very relaxed demeanor about him.

  The next group up was a Scottish boy band that Ian discovered in Atlantic City. They were booked at one of the casinos and Ian had been able to get them for a four-week gig at the Sanctuary on weekends for July. They were called “Johnnie and the Self Abusers.” I had a fairly good buzz going, and Piers leaned over the table and asked me if I wanted to dance. I recognized the old ’80s tune, “Don’t You Forget About Me,” starting. How appropriate I thought. Someone had definitely forgotten about me.

  “Sure, I said, grabbing Piers’ outstretched hand as he helped me up. We descended the stairs to the lit dance floor.

  It was one of those songs that bordered between fast and slow, so Piers and I did a mixture of both. I caught myself wishing it were Trey that I was dancing with. As the song ended, I raised my head from Piers shoulder. He had his head bowed slightly toward me. Suddenly his lips were brushing mine in a sweet kiss.