I shoved his arm while he beamed at me near the baggage claim. “Stop looking like you run the world.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You’re doing the thing you do when you make me come hard.”
He widened his eyes, mocking me. “Am I?”
“Just get our luggage please and keep your tongue to yourself.”
“I’ll try.”
Back in Pipe’s suite, I shook all of that nonsense away. Instead of checking into our own hotel rooms, we stopped by his place first. Jay figured he wouldn’t be there. I’d hoped he was wrong.
“I told you he wouldn’t be here.” Jay flipped through the stack of magazines that piled the table. Pipe’s maid must’ve been bringing in his mail.
“So he’s not in his hotel room like we thought.”
“Like I thought,” Jay corrected.
“Yippee. You’re finally right for once.” I formed my fingers into fists. “Now what?”
“I’m still pissed I let that manager talk me into giving him a thousand dollars to let us into Pipe’s suite.”
“The manager recognized your face and imagined all the millions you would be making in the future. He probably thinks you’re rich now.”
“I’m not. Just comfortable.”
“You’ll be rich one day.”
“Nothing is guaranteed, Evie.”
“Your career is.”
“One injury could fuck it all up.” Near the living room, he opened the linen closet for the third time and searched it again.
“I doubt Pipe would hide in there.”
“You said that.”
“And still you check it?”
“I’m searching for clues.”
“Sorry, Scooby.” I twirled my fingers in the air. “Let me back up and allow you to do your thing.”
“Thanks, Velma.”
“Will you be needing any of your tools from the mystery van?”
“Not this time, asshole.” He shut the door and stomped back to Pipe’s bedroom. “Where the hell did Pipe go?”
“We know he didn’t go to his father.”
“Exactly.”
“And not back to Mom’s.”
“Yeah. Mrs. Elaine would’ve let us know,” he called back from Pipe’s room. “Are we wasting our time?”
“No.”
“With Pipe’s inheritance, he could’ve bought a small island overseas and is now sipping piña coladas.”
“He’s hiding from all of us now. He couldn’t just charge his account and not get his father’s attention. Pipe’s inheritance has restrictions. The firm tracks everything. Last summer, the fund managers called him up about the hearse he’d bought and painted red and blue. They wanted a reason for the purchase. The rules are that each buy should improve his quality of life or add to his education in some way.”
“What did he say?” Jay asked.
“He told them that he bought the hearse because he wanted to invest in the funeral business.”
“Did they believe him?”
“No. I think they withheld some of the next month’s allowance.”
“And the hearse?”
“I think he said he crashed it into the sea.” I headed to Jay. “Something about racing it on the beach. Doesn’t matter. Did you find something?”
“Maybe.”
I entered the room. Being inside of Pipe’s room was always like walking through the mind of a well-dressed psycho. Three platinum mannequins dangled from the ceiling. One was a woman with a body leotard themed in the American flag. The other was a man with no shirt on, but he was wearing leather chaps. The final and most disturbing of the three wore a plain business suit, which was fine. The problem was the huge black dildo glued to the center of his forehead.
“What the hell is that, Pipe?” I turned to him.
“He is the mythical unicorn. The perfect man.”
Surprisingly, the rest of Pipe’s room boasted a lavish chic that only he could work. The mannequins should’ve made the space appear gaudy and outrageous. Instead, they were the focal point. From the crimson carpet to the royal blue walls and sheer white curtains, the whole room coordinated with the American flag body suit on the female mannequin and made it pop. All three of the lamp shades in the area were leather and matched the color of the other mannequin’s chaps.
Finally, paintings of unicorns hung on every inch of the walls. Beautiful images. Some were illustrated. Others displayed oil paintings of unicorns galloping through fluffy lavender clouds as golden sunlight hit their glittery, spiraling horns.
Jay lay on Pipe’s bed, thumbing through a large photo album.
“Looks like Fred is taking a break.” I crawled on the bed and lay next to him.
Jay looked up from the album. “Fred?”
“Scooby Doo, remember?”
“You should stick to math.”
“And you to football.”
A low rumble left him. It sounded like someone strangling a cat.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“I’m just annoyed.”
“Because?”
“I’m horny. I’m desperate in love. And Pipe is missing. There’re blood stains everywhere. I’m having a hard time thinking. Either my dick keeps getting hard and never going down, or my head fills up with worries over what the hell Pipe could be getting into.”
“It’s all going to work out.”
He stared at a few photos. “Is it?”
“I hope so.”
“I’m not sure hope is ever a good thing. I’ve been hoping a lot these days, and nothing has come from it.”
I poked out my lip. “Aww. Heisman Pimp has been hoping and not reaping the rewards.”
He shut the photo album and got off the bed. “I’ll be downstairs.”
“What?”
“Pipe’s not here. I’m tired and horny.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “I say we go to our hotel rooms, get some sleep, and deal with this shit in the morning.”
I nibbled on the inside of my cheek.
Jay stopped walking and turned my way. “Okay?”
“Maybe we should ride around Collins and Ocean.”
“And do what, yell out Pipe’s name?”
“Maybe.”
“No.” He shook his head. “I got a better idea.”
“Like what?” I rose from the bed and followed behind him.
“We’re looking for the wrong person.”
“Meaning?”
He paused at the door. “Let’s look for the bastard that hurt Pipe.”
I had enough brains to realize that searching out this man wasn’t the solution. But Pipe’s blood stained the suite, and my favorite person hid off somewhere like he couldn’t deal with the world. That shit didn’t sit right with me.
I would love to punch this guy.
“Are you in?” Jay studied my expression.
“Maybe.”
“What’s the guy’s name?” I tapped my foot but couldn’t focus enough to think it over. Pipe wouldn’t have wanted me to tell Jay. But then Pipe wasn’t here.
“Malcolm Ward.”
“Whatever, Evie. I wasn’t joking.” He turned around and opened the door. “I really need this guy’s name.”
“I’m serious.”
“Malcolm Ward? The man producing every new device that major phone companies put out? He’s basically the Steve Jobs of cellphones.”
“That’s what Pipe told me.” I closed the door behind me.
“Are you sure he wasn’t joking?”
“No. Google him. Ward did major deals with Pipe’s dad. They have several investments together. It’s all Wall Street Journal talked about last year.”
“You read Wall Street Journal?”
“Of course. Doesn’t everyone?”
“You’re a nerd.”
“Doesn’t matter. His name is Malcolm Ward.”
“Trust me. He had to be joking.” Jay marched down the hallway.
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“Hey.” I got on his side and tapped his arm. “Listen, I’m not playing. It’s Malcolm Ward. I saw the size of the limo when he picked Pipe up at Coventon. And Pipe makes up shit sometimes, but it’s never intricate details that form the story. If it was a rainy night, he might say it stormed. If the hero in his story was broke, he’d paint a picture of the grimmest poverty. But in the end, Pipe doesn’t straight up lie. He just exaggerates the truth.”
“Pipe also thinks he can see auras.” He walked off.
“Maybe he does,” I called out to him.
“Really, Evie?”
“Fine.” I gave up. “I said the name. You don’t believe it. Let’s move on to the next plan.”
Jay paused. “Malcolm Ward?”
“Yes.”
He sneered and flexed his neck. “Malcolm Ward?”
“I just fucking said yes.”
He rubbed his face with both hands and marched on. “Oh well. I’ve always wanted to punch a billionaire.”
“Hey who said anything about punching?”
“I’m going to do something fucked up to him. Let’s make that clear.”
“That won’t get us Pipe.”
“But that will make me happy for a few seconds.”
“Which is more important than finding Pipe,” I muttered.
We arrived at the end of the hallway. Logic hit me. I laughed at the thought.
“What, Evie?” Jay pushed the elevator button.
“I just realized that punching Ward would actually get us to Pipe.”
“In what way?”
“You knock him out in public and word would spread. Pipe would be calling our phones as soon as he found out.”
A bell rang. The elevator doors slid open.
“What do you think?” I asked.
“I hit him in public, and the gossip blogs will eat that shit up.”
“We deny.”
“We?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. You.”
He stayed silent for a minute as we waited for the elevator to arrive. “I can’t do it on camera.”
“No,” I agreed.
“We have to make sure no one gets their cellphones out and snaps pictures.”
“Sure. Even worse, we don’t even know where Malcolm Ward is. He might not even be in Miami.”
“Oh, he’s here. He’s a psycho. He’s probably watching Pipe as we speak. I bet the bastard knows where he is. Probably got a person tracking him and taking photos so he can see how fucked up he—”
“Yeah. I think you should get some sleep.”
“Too much?”
“Far too much. You need your sleep.”
The elevator arrived, and we got on.
I couldn’t get those blood stains out of my head. How bad had this guy hurt Pipe? Was my friend still the lovable guy I’d always cared for or was that part of him destroyed?
“Come on, Evie.” Pipe took off his shirt. His white fur hat fell to the sandy beach. The night sky hovered over us as a full moon glowed. Pipe threw his shirt on the shadowed sand but bent down, picked up his hat, and put it back on. “Let’s go skinny dipping. It will cheer you up.”
“Pipe, stop.” I yelled.
It was already too late. His belt dropped to the sand. The jeans fell next and finally the boxers, revealing a nice size penis that forced me to cover my face with both hands. It wasn’t the penis I didn’t want to see. It was the ridiculous tattoo I tried not to look at.
When we were sixteen, Pipe begged his ex-nanny to pretend to be his mom and go to the tattoo parlor with us. Once there, he got an elephant’s face tattooed on his groin. The gray ears spread out on each thigh. Its wide eyes rested below his belly button, and the trunk was, of course, his penis.
The next week, he regretted the tattoo and begged his dad to pay to get it fixed. His dad refused and wouldn’t give his accountant permission to authorize the spending for laser removal.
“Put your clothes back on. You’re insane!” I giggled.
“Join me!” Pipe raced off into the water with his fur hat still on. The moon shined over his pale behind that flexed as he ran. “Get one with nature, baby! Come on, Evie! You know you want to!”
I wrenched off my shirt and climbed out of my clothes.
“Damn, Evie. With your body, I might consider being heterosexual again. Since when did your breasts get that big?”
“Be quiet.” I covered them with my arms and tiptoed in. Freezing water stabbed at my toes. I jerked back. “The water’s cold!”
“Come on. This isn’t your first day at a beach. Jump in, silly.” Pipe sank all the way into the ocean, hat and all.
“Pipe?” I slung myself into the ocean. Cold enveloped me. My teeth chattered. Dark liquid wavered around my body. However, second by second, my body got used to the temperature. “Pipe?”
Hands grabbed my waist. Pipe turned me around. “Hello.”
Ocean water drenched the furry hat and streamed down his gorgeous face. The thing on his head resembled a dead wet cat.
“Thanks for jumping in with me, Evie.”
“You know me. I’m your partner-in-crime when all logical people have fled away in fear.”
On the elevator, Jay grabbed my hand and squeezed it. “Are you okay?”
I shook the memory away. “Yeah, just thinking about that time when we all skinny dipped at Coventon Beach.”
“Pipe can always get a group of people to skinny dip.”
“Yeah.”
“He wouldn’t take that stupid hat off.”
“Yeah.”
He squeezed my hand harder. “He’s going to be okay, Evie.”
I let out a long breath. “Yeah.”
He better be.
“Did I mention that I was tired and horny?” Jay added as the elevator doors opened to the lobby.
“Too bad.” I walked toward the limo.
“You’re an evil woman.” He got on my side. “I gave you a tongue gift on the plane. I’m just thinking you should return the favor.”
“No one told you to tongue gift me.”
“Is that your only defense?”
“Yes. That and the fact that you broke my heart.”
He stopped right there in the lobby, and I couldn’t pause with him. I kept on moving and prayed that I appeared more confident than I looked. Part of me wanted to serve him, find a private spot and wrap my mouth around his cock. The other half believed he deserved a knee in the crotch. My emotions whipped around in my head. They were a tornado and my skull the small town stricken with disaster.
Minutes passed. Our cab had already been waiting in the front. Shielding my eyes from the sun, I hurried to the taxi, got in the back, and scooted over to the far left. It took Jay some time to catch up. Silently, he climbed in the small vehicle.
Maybe I should leave him alone about that. I can’t be that chick who’s always throwing the past in a good guy’s face. I guess I need to figure out if Jay’s still a good guy.
Pipe and Jay ran through my mind. I loved both men in different ways. And, for some reason, they’d chosen this month to act up. Jay admitted to stalking me and then molested my body on the airplane like some experienced dominant in a BDSM porno.
And Pipe…
Pipe got hurt and forgot the most important thing. He forgot how much Jay and I loved him. He overlooked the fact that we’d do anything to give him peace—lie, cheat, and steal.
Where are you, Pipe?
The taxi driver rode us along Collins Avenue toward our hotel. Bright buildings sped by. Lovely-dressed women and men prowled the streets in search of a good time. None of it delighted my eyes. Worry fucked with me too bad.
The first thing I make clear with Pipe is that he must always answer my damn calls.
Jay broke my thoughts with a whisper. “Evie.”
“Yes.”
He put his big arm around me and drew my body to him. “I’m sorry.”
“I know.”
“Do you?”
“Of course.” I sighed. “And it’s not like I didn’t have free will. I think I just wanted you so bad that I was willing to put up with anything.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I just won’t ever do that again.”
“I love you.”
I leaned against his chest. “I know, Jay, but sometimes love isn’t enough to erase the pain, but...”
“You accept my apology?”
“Yes. And I won’t bring it up anymore. Well, I’ll try not to.”
“Doesn’t matter.” He landed a kiss on my forehead. “I’m sorry.”
Chapter Ten
Pipe
I was properly showered, but nowhere clean inside.
I’d been envisioning sausages and my neighbor, naked and lounging next to fat links. Food no longer made me crazy. It hadn’t been a fetish, just a sad attempt of a boy making a homemade dildo. Luckily, when I discovered what the hell a dildo was, I gave up meat and went straight to a nifty little sex toy addiction. I had tons of things mailed to the house. Then, my housekeeper got wind of it, told Dad, and he discovered I’d been using his card.
Handing over ten big, black, double-ended dildos was probably the most difficult moment of my teen years. Dad’s face resembled a red crayon. When I dropped the first one in his hand, he almost vomited. I considered lightening up the mood by making a joke, but each pun ended in cock. Dad might’ve disowned me.
Music rose in the studio next door. The green-eyed dread kept this one on repeat too. It wasn’t reggae this time. It was mix between downtempo and blues, something one might hear in a high-end lounge as they sipped wine.
“Please. Please. Please, don’t go, baby,” the woman begged while a sad saxophone accompanied her. An electronic tempo mellowed out in the background.
Don’t you know I...Don’t you know I...love you.” She groaned between notes like someone had hit her. “Oh baby, the way you loved me yesterday makes the tears come more today.”
The singer could’ve made Billie Holiday cry. Evie would love her. My lovely friend enjoyed the greats and found most current music distasteful. She might’ve hidden some of my hardcore gangster rap CDs back in the day, thinking she was saving my ears.
“I’m so empty. Please, come home,” the singer groaned with the saxophone. “So empty. Please, don’t leave me alone. I can’t breathe, and this house ain’t no home! Don’t you leave, I can’t be alone.”
The COMPLETE Coventon Campus Series: Books I, II, & III Page 39