Drowning In Love

by Beth Rinyu

  “How exciting, having a celebrity boyfriend,” Tressa said to Mia.

  Mia forced a half smile and raised her eyebrows. Tressa and her husband both excused themselves to use the restroom at the same time. I was grateful because it gave me time to talk to Mia. I sat down next to her and took her hand.

  “So, are you going to snap out of it or are you going to let Chloe ruin your night?”

  “I’m just sick of sharing my boyfriend with everyone else, Travis. If it’s not Chloe, then it’s random women throwing themselves at you.”

  I took her face in my hands. “Mia, you have nothing to worry about; my heart belongs to you completely. I’m not going to let go of your face until you smile.” A smile finally stretched across her face. “That’s my girl!” I kissed her on the forehead. She took my hand and leaned her head on my shoulder.

  “Mia, come and dance with me since your sister is no fun,” Mia’s brother-in-law, Shane, said as he and Tressa returned to the table. Mia got up and kissed me on the cheek before heading out to the dance floor.

  Tressa watched them out on the dance floor and smiled. "Thank you for giving me my sister back, Travis."

  I wasn’t sure exactly what she meant. She must have sensed my confusion and went on to explain. "A year ago, she was on the verge of losing it. I really thought that she would

  never allow herself to feel again. She wasn't the same Mia that I knew and loved my whole life and it scared me to death."

  I looked at Mia out on the dance floor. "Well, she's really easy to love."

  "You know, I never thought she would love anyone as much as Eric, but I see the way she looks at you and I can tell that she loves you so very much and that makes me happy. Just please don't ever break her heart."

  "Never," I said as I looked away, feeling a huge stab of guilt.

  Mia came walking back to the table with a huge smile on her face. "Tressa, your husband has no rhythm." She giggled as she sat down next to me and wrapped her arm around me. "I'm totally over it now,” she whispered in my ear.

  She leaned in and kissed me deeply, taking me a little off guard, but I liked it.

  "Oh my God, get a room, you two!" Tressa teased.

  "It's not me; it’s your sister’s fault," I said.

  "Hey, I can't help it if I have the sexiest man around. Sorry, Shane, but he is!" Mia joked with her brother-in-law.

  Even though she was absolutely adorable when she pouted, I was glad to have the old Mia back.

  After a few more hours and a lot more drinks, Mia had totally gotten over Chloe. We said our goodbyes to her sister and brother-in-law and got into to my car. “Travis Montgomery, I want to ravish your body right now.” She wrapped her hands around my neck and pulled me towards her. She moved her tongue around my mouth, making me want her even more than I already did.

  “Mia, remember what you said; there will be none of that.”

  “There will be none of that once we get to my parents’ house, but nobody said anything about here.” I knew she had a little too much to drink, which was probably causing her out of character behavior, but I didn’t care – I liked it. She unzipped my pants and began to stroke me. She ran her tongue up and down my neck. “Do you like this, Travis? ‘Cause it’s feeling like you do.”

  I was so hard and I wanted her more than anything. “Mia, you’re driving me fuckin’ crazy, baby.”

  She bit her lip and smiled, making my need for her even stronger. She moved her head down to my lap and ran her tongue up and down my throbbing cock. I had to catch my breath, it felt so good, and she knew it. She continued to tease me with her tongue before finally taking me inside her mouth as she gently glided her lips up and down. I was just about there when I grabbed her hair and pulled her up. “Mia, I want to fuck you so bad.”

  She smiled and took my face in her hands. “What’s stopping you, then?” I climbed over the gearshift and started pulling down her pants. She finished taking them off completely. I stuck my fingers inside of her. She was so wet, so ready. I pulled my pants down and shifted myself into the seat, pulling her on top of me. I slid myself inside of her with ease as she began to move. I placed my hands on her hips and saw the look of pleasure that was washing over her face. I was getting even more turned on just watching her. She leaned her head back and began to move quicker. I moved my hands to her ass and gently lifted her up and down. She felt so good, like her body was made just for me. “Oh my God, Travis, this feels so good!” It was only a matter of seconds before she let out a loud scream and melted around me. Within minutes, she was screaming my name again at the same exact time that I released myself inside of her.

  She wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me on the lips. “You are a bad little girl, Mia.”

  “Only for you. So I guess that makes me your bad little girl.” She smiled.

  I smiled back. She was just my girl plain and simple. She didn’t need to be anything else. Just plain old Mia Taylor was all that I would ever need.

  Chapter 25

  Mia…

  “Juan, you have to stop double-booking me when you know I have color to do.”

  “Mia, I thought people were supposed to get nicer when they’re gettin’ some, but you just seem to be getting bitchier.”

  I smacked him in the arm. “I’m not being bitchy; I‘ve just been running around like a crazy person all day!” It was two days before Thanksgiving and everyone needed their hair done – like yesterday! I was a little upset about not spending Thanksgiving with Travis; he was going up to his parents’ house in Connecticut and had asked me to go. I knew my mother would go into coronary arrest at the thought of me not spending a holiday with them, so I graciously declined.

  I walked over to my chair, where Mrs. Montgomery was waiting for me. “Mia, sweetheart, how are you?” She pulled me to her and placed a kiss on my cheek.

  “I’m doing great!” A smiled stretched across my face.

  “Well, Travis stopped over yesterday and he’s doing great too.” She smiled back. She took my hand in hers. “I’m so happy for the two of you, dear.”

  “Thanks!”

  “He told me that he had invited you to my son and daughter-in-law’s for Thanksgiving dinner.”

  “Yeah, he did and unfortunately, I don’t think my mother could part with me on a holiday just yet.”

  “That’s understandable. My son and his wife are very anxious to meet you. Travis has never invited a girl over for a holiday before. I told them you were special.”

  “Aw, thank you, Mrs. Montgomery. Are you going to be spending Thanksgiving with them?”

  “Oh no, Christmas is enough. I always spend my Thanksgivings with my sisters; it’s been that way for years.”

  “Sisters are the best, aren’t they?”

  “Yes, they are, dear.” She smiled up at me.

  I finished up with Mrs. Montgomery and actually had ten precious minutes to throw a yogurt down my throat. I went into the break room and checked my phone to find a missed call from my mother. She never called me when I was at work, so I figured it was probably important.

  She answered after four rings and she sounded like death. “Hey, Mom, are you okay?”

  “Oh, Mia, I feel like I’m dying. Both Gary and I have the flu. I’m so sorry, sweetie, I’m not going to be up to cooking Thanksgiving dinner. Tressa is going to go to her in-laws now; she said that you’re welcome to come along if you’d like.”

  “No, that’s okay.”

  “Oh, honey, I’m so sorry.”

  “Don’t be silly, Mom. Just get better.”

  “Well, where are you going to go?”

  “Don’t worry about me. I have options.” I smiled, thinking about what those options were.

  We hung up the phone. She made me promise that I would come down once she was feeling better so we could celebrate Thanksgiving then.

  I looked at the clock; my ten minutes were just about up. I quickly typed out a text to Travis: Change of plans, would you stil
l like me to join you for Thanksgiving?

  I put my phone away, figuring I wouldn’t be hearing back from him for a while. I was half out the door and stopped myself dead in my tracks when I heard the beeping of my phone. I ran to my purse and pulled it out. I couldn’t stop smiling when I looked down at his reply: You just made my day, baby.

  ***

  I spent the night before Thanksgiving at Travis’ place. I was a little nervous about meeting his family for the first time. Just from knowing Mrs. Montgomery, I knew that they were in a different social class than I was. I was only hoping that they would be as warm and welcoming as Mrs. Montgomery had been toward me. Travis must have sensed my nervousness as I was finishing getting dressed.

  “Hey, what’s the matter?” he asked.

  “Nothing, just a little nervous about meeting your parents for the first time.”

  He walked over to me and wrapped his arms around my waist. “Mia, relax, there’s nothing to be nervous about. They’re going to love you just as much as I do.”

  I smiled as he kissed me softly on the forehead.

  After an hour-long drive, we finally pulled into the long driveway of Travis’ parents’ Greenwich, Connecticut home. It was an exquisite brick-front Tudor-style home that looked humungous from the outside. I tried my best to calm the butterflies flapping around in my stomach.

  Travis again sensed my apprehension. He grabbed my hand and squeezed it tightly as we walked through the front door. The house was just as breathtaking on the inside as it was on the outside. I stood in the foyer and was in shock as my eyes began to take everything in. It looked like it had been professionally decorated. It made me realize the stark differences in our upbringing as I compared the tiny two-bedroom ranch-style home that I had grown up in to this home.

  “Travis!” a very attractive older woman exclaimed as she came walking out from the kitchen. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him on the cheek.

  “Mom, this is Mia.”

  Her smile was a mile wide. She took my hands in hers and kissed me on the cheek. “I cannot tell you what a pleasure it is to finally meet you, Mia. I’ve heard so much about you from Travis and my mother-in-law and, believe me, you must be pretty special if you rate with her,” she joked.

  She had the same color eyes as Travis and wore her auburn hair short and stylish. “Thank you, Mrs. Montgomery.” I smiled, releasing some of the tension that I was feeling just a few minutes ago.

  “Please call me Joanne and this is my husband, Jules.”

  Travis’ dad looked like an older version of Travis with gray hair. He was tall, had the same facial features, including the cleft in his chin. The only difference was he had blue eyes instead of the beautiful hazel shade of Travis’ that I had become so fond of. He took my hand and shook it gently, giving me a warm smile. “Nice to meet you, Mia.”

  “You too, Dr. Montgomery.”

  “No need for formalities, Mia; just call me ‘Jules.’”

  I smiled at him, thinking this wasn’t so bad after all.

  Travis’ father helped me take off my coat as his mom wrapped her arm around me and led me into the kitchen. “Come and meet my sister and my niece.” Travis gave me a reassuring smile as his mother whisked me away.

  All of my doubts were put to rest; by the end of the day, I felt totally comfortable around Travis’ entire family. I scolded myself for even having any preconceived notions about them. They made me feel totally warm and welcomed. I actually found myself getting a little disheartened when Travis looked down at his watch.

  “It’s eight o’clock. Are you ready to get going?”

  I shrugged my shoulders. “Sure, if you are.”

  Travis stood up and announced our departure to everyone. “Oh, I wish you guys could just spend the night.”

  “We can’t. Mia has to work tomorrow and I have an early meeting.”

  “Honestly, Travis, who schedules meetings for the day after Thanksgiving? Don’t they know that everyone is supposed to be out shopping?” his mother asked.

  “I didn’t; Chloe did.”

  His mother had a look of disgust on her face at the mention of Chloe’s name. She shook her head and shivered at the sound of her name. “Well, that would make perfect sense, then.”

  I found myself becoming instantly curious as to her obvious unfavorable assessment of Chloe.

  “Who’s Chloe?” Travis’ cousin Brenda asked.

  “Just a dreadful woman,” his mother answered.

  “Mom, just stop.” Travis shook his head and raised his eyebrow at her.

  She finally changed the subject, even though it appeared that she had much more that she wanted to say. We said our goodbyes and were on our way home. About fifteen minutes into the ride, I could no longer control my curiosity. “How does your mother know Chloe?”

  “She met her at a benefit that she attended a while back.” I could tell from his vagueness that he didn’t really care to talk about it.

  I, however, wanted to know more. “So why doesn’t your mother like her?”

  “She just didn’t agree with some of the business choices she was making for me.”

  “Oh.” I nodded, wishing that he would elaborate a little further, but I knew it was of no use as he immediately shifted the subject.

  “You’re staying over tonight, right?” he asked.

  “I wasn’t planning on it.”

  He looked at me sadly. “I have to be at work early tomorrow and that would mean I would have to rush home to get dressed in the morning.”

  “Mia, I know that you packed at least ten outfits in that bag of yours last night because I saw you trying them all on this morning in your state of panic at meeting my parents,” he joked.

  “Fine.” I smiled, thinking about spending another night with him.

  He took my hand and lifted it up to his lips, placing a gentle kiss on it.

  We arrived back at his apartment. I was freezing from just coming in from outside. I briskly rubbed my hands together, trying to warm them up.

  “Are you cold?” he asked.

  “A little.”

  He walked over to the fireplace and turned it on. He pulled his ringing cell phone from his pocket and rolled his eyes when he looked at the caller ID.

  “Yeah, Chloe,” he answered, not trying to disguise his annoyance in any way. “Yes, I know; nine o’clock.”

  He walked over to me, wrapped his arms around me, and began to kiss me on the neck, all the while half listening to what Chloe was saying on the other end of the phone.

  “Yeah, I’ll see you tomorrow. I have to run.” He abruptly hung up the phone and dropped it on the counter, right by where we were standing.

  “Let me warm you up some more,” he whispered in my ear. He gently grazed my earlobe with his teeth. He didn’t miss a beat when he reached back to the counter to silence his ringing cell phone, without even looking to see who it was. I was a little more curious as I peeked over his shoulder, becoming a little annoyed when I saw the name Chloe flashing on the caller ID. I erased any more thoughts of her when Travis kissed me deeply, picked me up, and carried me off into his bedroom.

  Chapter 26

  Mia…

  It was hard to believe that Christmas was only two weeks away. I was attending a Christmas party with Travis, which was being hosted by one of the companies with which he had an endorsement. I placed one last curl in my hair before giving it a final spray of hairspray. I looked at myself in the full-length mirror, quite pleased with the girl looking back at me. I was even more pleased when I thought of the great bargain that I had gotten on the little black dress that I was wearing. I buzzed Travis in and unlocked the door so he could just let himself in while I scoured through my closet for purse that matched my dress.

  I found my purse and turned around to find Travis standing in my bedroom doorway. Just when I thought he couldn’t get any more handsome, he was. He was dressed in a perfectly tailored suit and his freshly cut haircut that I had j
ust given him yesterday, looked perfect.

  “Oh my God, Mia, you’re killing me in that dress.”

  I was killing him, seriously? He had no clue what he was doing to my insides right now!

  He moved closer to me and pulled me to him. He began to kiss me and move his hands up and down my body. “Let’s just skip this and spend the night in bed instead,” he said with his arms still wrapped tightly around me.

  I ran my hand across his cheek and smiled. “Come on, silly, you have to go and then there will time for that after.”

  “Okay, but I’m just showing my face and leaving.”

  “Suit yourself.” I laughed.

  Three hours into the party, I was wishing that I had just taken Travis up on his offer of spending the night in bed. I was feeling very uncomfortable and Travis had been drinking a little more than I cared for. Every time I would turn around, Chloe was handing him a drink. I was really getting annoyed with the way she would pull him off to the side for private conversations. She was there with a date and I wondered why she wasn’t focusing more of her attention on him instead of Travis. If that weren’t enough to push me over the edge, Travis had practically every woman at the party coming up and ogling over him as if I wasn’t even there. I had finally had enough of putting on a happy face when inside, I wanted to scream. I was standing alone, waiting for Travis, who was off in conversation at the bar with some man as well as three beautiful women when I was approached by Josh Hamilton, another Olympic swimmer and Travis’ main competitor. Travis had introduced me to him briefly in the beginning of the party when he still had his wits about him, but hurried me along when Josh tried to strike up a conversation with me.

  "Hey, Mia, it was really nice to meet you earlier."

  "Hey, you too."

  "Travis is really lucky; not only did he beat me out of a few gold medals, but he has an absolutely beautiful girlfriend."

  "Well, thanks." It was nice to have someone to talk to since Travis didn’t even know that I existed tonight. Josh was staring at me and I couldn't help but notice just how handsome he was.