The same fire sizzled and popped inside Morgan’s head.
Morgan yanked her jeans up and glared. “What did you prove, Dawn? That you couldn’t stand to see me walk out that door last night with another woman? It’s okay when you do it, but God forbid Morgan finds the balls to do the same. You can go screw yourself.” Morgan clenched her fists by her side.
Dawn turned and strode to the door, turning back before she twisted the knob. “It’s a good thing a real woman laid in my bed last night. She was delicious after I hung up that phone. It’s amazing how a few tears can bring out the fucking beast in some people, huh?”
Morgan stared at her. A cold, hard hand squeezed her heart. She willed herself to get control. She begged her body to hold its ground, to not leap at Dawn and sink her fingers deep in her eyes.
She breathed deep, lifted her hand, and pointed at the door. “Get out, Dawn. There’s nothing left for you here.” She knew the words were far from the truth, but wasn’t about to show any hint of it to Dawn.
Dawn turned and darted from the room, leaving the door ajar. Her footsteps echoed down the stairs.
Morgan flew to the door, needing to have another final say. This feeling that was taking over was too awesome to end just yet.
“Hey, Dawn!” Morgan screamed at the head clearing the final steps to disappear out of the lobby door. Dawn stopped, turned back and glared up at her. “She didn’t fuck me, by the way. She made love to me. It was the most awesome, mind-blowing, out-of-this-world sex I’ve ever had in my whole fucking life. Whew boy!” Morgan fanned herself while she stared down at Dawn. “And tell your new girlfriend to get rid of the cheap perfume. It stunk up my apartment.”
Fire erupted within Dawn’s brown eyes. Morgan feared for a second she’d fly back up the stairs and rip her apart limb from limb. She only glared, balling her fists by her side, and then turned and headed out the door.
Morgan raced back inside her apartment and slammed the door. She flew to the window overlooking the street and watched Dawn stomp back to her car, throw her body inside, and pull away from the curb.
She turned and looked at her surroundings. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest.
“Oh, my God!” Morgan clamped her hand around her mouth, contorted in a wide smile. “I guess I told her, huh?” she mumbled behind her hand, trying to stop the bouts of giggles.
She walked over and sank into the couch, suddenly realizing exactly what she’d said.
“She deserved that, you wussy. She deserved the sting of every word.”
Morgan smiled to herself, trying to will her heart to stop pounding. She’d just hurt the person she loved more than her own breath. But she deserved it, and it felt good to finally say something so angry to her. It felt damn good to see that look spread across Dawn’s face at her words.
More memories flooded Morgan’s mind. These bitable images, the ones that ended life as Morgan knew it. She held her breath while anger rushed through her veins, bringing back the empty feeling she’d carried with her over a year ago while she walked out of Dawn’s life.
Morgan’s devastating phone call came around 2:30 in the afternoon. Sandra had sent everyone home early after nabbing a big deal with a new cosmetic line.
Morgan walked into her apartment, giddy with anticipation. Dawn had plans for a romantic dinner and joyous sex between the sheets.
“Your bitch is in a motel room right now fucking my girlfriend. If you want to see for yourself come to the Radisson on Heritage Drive.” The phone went dead.
Morgan’s heart did a thousand somersaults while she dialed Dawn’s cell phone. It went straight to voice mail. This is not happening. This is not happening to me, and whoever that person was was just trying to stir the old shit back up. It’s a lie, and I’m not falling for it.
But could she ignore it? Could she ignore what she felt deep inside was true? She reached for her purse and within minutes was heading in the direction of the motel.
She pulled into the parking lot to see a butch dyke leaned against a ratty two-door Honda. Her dark brown spiked hair was gelled back on both sides of her head. She glared at Morgan with hard blue eyes. A quick flip of her wrist ordered her closer.
Morgan crossed the five-foot section with her heart pounding in her chest.
“They’re in the room on the end. Number 102, to be exact.” The dyke curled her lip and nodded toward the building.
“How do you know it’s my girlfriend in there?”
“Well, let’s see.” The woman reared back, reaching inside her car. “Maybe because I knew my bitch was up to no good, again, so I had her followed. It’s been going on for almost a month now,” she said through gritted teeth.
“You still haven’t told me how you know it’s my damn girlfriend in that room.”
A picture, taken between slits of curtains came into view. Dawn’s silky hair, twisted on her head, was buried between the legs of her lover. The soft hair was unmistakable, for it was the same hair Morgan’s hands had yanked on many nights of lovemaking. Dawn’s blonde lover was pulled to the edge of the bed. Her legs dangled over Dawn’s shoulders. She was propped up by her hands while her head hung back, cascading her long locks of blonde curls down to the bed. Her lips were parted with the obvious pleasure Dawn was freely giving to her, a pleasure only Morgan was supposed to be given by those lips.
This picture was replaced by another. This one showed a sensual embrace of lips, tongues barely touching, while Dawn tangled her fingers into her lover’s long hair. Her other hand was hidden inside the curves of the blonde’s legs. Morgan’s heart ceased to pump. A lump rose in her throat, threatening tears. Her brain worked in overdrive. Images of her lover, tearing their lives apart rested limply in her fingers. Physical pain shot through her heart while her stomach felt like something was eating it from the inside out. She felt nausea roll through her before the world started blackening around her. The pictures fell from her fingers to the ground.
“Why did you call me? You could have easily been here waiting for them alone.”
“Having a faithful partner is important to me. It’s obviously not to her. I’d hope someone would do the same for me.”
They waited against the side of the building for what seemed like years when finally a door creaked open. The sound of kissing and giggling floated back for a few seconds before Morgan gathered her nerve and stepped around the corner.
Dawn’s eyes were blank with lust, then recognition set in. Her face went pale, and no one moved a muscle while they stood staring.
Morgan’s whispered words were barely audible. “I sure hope she was worth it. I hope she was worth every ounce of sweat you just put into fucking her brains out. Your face disgusts me, and I never wanna see you again.”
Morgan spat right in Dawn’s face. Her face was on fire, and her heart was torturously ripping apart. She turned to walk away and another thought came to her.
She turned around, lifting her ring finger into her other hand. She squeezed the ring that had encircled her finger for nine years, pulling hard, sending jolts of pain through her fingertips, until it popped free. She held it aloft. The glimmering gold band sparkled against the afternoon sun. Then she tossed it on the concrete at Dawn’s feet.
“I won’t be needing that anymore, now will I?” Morgan turned and walked away without ever looking back into Dawn’s magnetic eyes.
She walked across that parking lot in a zombie-like state of mind, heart squealing with pain, knowing her life was never going to be the same.
She numbed herself to the pain … and never shed a single tear. Until today.
Chapter Ten
Morgan walked into her office, reluctant to be there, and threw her purse under the desk. She’d spent the rest of her weekend crying, letting loose those pent up emotions, and trying to figure out what she wanted to do with the rest of her life.
Thoughts of Shane, thoughts of Dawn, mingled in her mind, leaving her desperate for answers. What she felt for Shan
e had to be her warped brain desperately hunting for love, needing hopelessly to get past Dawn. She couldn’t get the image of Shane’s caring green eyes staring back at her, out of her mind. Nor, could she shake the disgusted look Dawn gave her right before she’d plunged another raging orgasm from Morgan’s body, knowing full well Morgan had spent the night in the arms of another woman.
She shook the depressing thoughts from her mind and made her way down the hall. There in the break room, she found John in the canteen pouring coffee into a mug. His red hair glowed florescent orange under the bright lights. He turned as she approached.
“Good morning, Morgan. How did your weekend go?”
“It was fine. How was yours?” She reached for a cup and poured herself coffee, while he filled his mug with enough sugar to send a diabetic into a coma.
“It was kind of boring. I just hung out with some friends.” He pushed his glasses further onto his nose with the tip of a finger. “I have a favor to ask you.”
“Sure, if I can. What’s up?” she peered down the hall as a few co-workers made their way into the office.
“I have a friend who needs a date for the grand opening of Howard Gallery. It’s not going to be anything formal. I know you don’t date guys, um, well, you know what I mean, but I was thinking if you weren’t busy, would you mind being his date this Friday?”
His hesitance to call her a lesbian made her smile. He grinned back, his face reddening. She envisioned his friend would be just as geeky. She hoped his friend had a similar wacky sense of humor too. John was a good guy.
“I’d love to, John. Wasn’t the owner a football player or something?’
“Yes, he was. My friend actually works with him as his agent.” John chuckled. His freckled hand inched back to his glasses. “Matt’s my friend, by the way.”
Morgan gave him a curious stare. Was this John’s way of saying he was gay? No. Her mind was in the gutter. “Great. Have him swing by the office so I can meet him and make plans.”
John snorted out a giggle, ducked his nodding head, and strode down the hall toward his office. He’d just gotten to the end of the hall when Rachel burst through the elevator doors. Shit! Morgan ducked back into the break room. But, it was too late. Rachel raced in, clapped her hands and squealed at the sight of her. Morgan almost choked on her coffee.
“Spill your guts, baby. Tell mama everything.” Rachel shouted and paced in Morgan’s direction.
“There’s nothing to tell.”
Rachel threw her head back and roared out a piercing laugh. When she was over her bouts of laughter, she looked back at Morgan, tears welling in her eyes, holding her stomach. “You lie so bad. Come on in here and tell me everything. Every juicy little detail, baby. And don’t you dare leave out one tiny moan.”
Rachel ducked into her office, leaving Morgan flushed in the hall, looking around to see who had heard the loud outburst.
Morgan headed into Rachel’s office. Rachel surprised her by wrapping her arms around her neck, hugging her almost as tight as she had the day she’d pushed tiny little Jessica into the world.
Rachel released her death grip, turned smiling eyes to Morgan, and dove back for another hug. “What’s got into you?” Rachel hardly ever hugged her. It felt weird like she’d just stepped into the twilight zone.
Rachel backed away, keeping Morgan at arms reach. “The first hug was just to say I was proud of you after Friday. The second one was to let you know that I love you no matter what decisions you make.”
Morgan felt a lump rise in her throat and choked back tears. “Football season’s over, so Steve shouldn’t be leaving anytime soon. You usually get all clingy when he’s leaving, so you spill it.” Morgan slipped her coffee cup back to her lips, eyeing Rachel over the rim.
“Nothing’s up. I just wanted you to know how much I love you is all. I don’t have to have any special reason to hug my best friend.” Rachel slid into her chair. “Your turn. I want every detail of Friday night.” Her smile was bright as she stared up at Morgan.
Morgan shook a finger at her. “You’re bad. I’m not giving you any details. I will, however, tell you that I had a good time.”
Rachel squinted her eyes; then a grin broke across her face. “That means you got laid.” She licked her index finger and stroked an imaginary number one in the air. “Mission accomplished.”
Morgan only sipped more coffee from her mug, trying to hide her smile.
“I bout pissed my pants when you told Dawn to have a good life. That was perfect. I could win millions if I’d had a picture of her face.” Rachel’s smile slid away. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”
“It’s okay. She deserved it. But, I still care about her.” Morgan felt her heart twist at the mention of Dawn’s name.
“I know you do.” Rachel’s eyes glistened. “But it’s time to get on with your life you know? So tell me about Shane.”
Morgan shared enough details to pacify Rachel for the day then made her way back to her office. She walked to the window overlooking downtown Atlanta. Horns blew, people yelled, others walked to avoid the road rage. She leaned her head against the glass and turned her gaze to the morning sky. If only she could fly out of here, to the open sky, away from her broken heart, away from the dilemmas of her life. How great it would be to climb onto the ledge, leap, and fly away. How peaceful it would be to void the images of Dawn’s betrayal that were damned to haunt her forever.
———
Shane awoke Monday morning with a clear mind. She’d spent the rest of her weekend going through photo albums, pulling out one picture after the other and throwing each one into a box.
She’d walked around the house, pulling frames from the wall and tossing them into the box as well. Friday night had given her new hope of life. She might be in love with someone who was in love with another, but those few hours of freedom made her realize spending the rest of her life locked away from the world wasn’t what she wanted. She wanted to be alive. She wanted to be loved and give back love in return.
As pictures of Shelby were placed into the box, Shane felt her shoulders lift from the weight she’d carried for so long. She knelt in front of the box, seeing her smiling Shelby looking back at her. “I won’t ever forget you. I’m so sorry.” Tears threatened to overflow. She swallowed them back, not yet ready to release all the pain.
And now, as she made her way to the gallery, the world seemed so much brighter, so much cleaner and purer, alien. She removed her sunglasses and pushed through the doors of the gallery. Scott stood in the middle of the lobby, his fists perched on his hips.
“I hear you’re a trouble maker, Ms. You. I hear you kicked some woman’s ass and stole her partner. And on top of that, you didn’t even call me to tell me any juicy details. My heart is wounded.” He slid his hand over his heart in unconscious echo of his words. “I’m supposed to be your best friend, and you can’t even call to tell me you got laid?” He gave Shane his playful pout.
Shane chuckled. “First of all, I did not kick anyone’s ass. Second, I did not steal anyone’s partner. And third, I didn’t know I was supposed to call you every time I got laid.”
“Every time! What do you mean every time? You never get laid. You don’t go anywhere to get laid.” Scott perched against the counter, eyes wide. “So, come on, tell me everything.”
“I met someone, her ex-girlfriend showed up, we had a few words, and then we left. That’s it. Nothing more. Nothing less. Sorry to bore you.”
“Uh-uh. No you don’t, sister.” His finger swished back and forth at Shane. “What did you do when you left? Where’d you go? Those are the details I want.” Scott’s eyes widened as he suddenly realized what he was asking. “Oh, gross! Women! Yuck. Never mind. I don’t want to hear anything else.” He scooted away, mumbling under his breath and made his way down the hall toward the framing room.
Shane shook her head and smiled at his retreating back then turned to her office. The easel beckoned her. She wal
ked to it, pulled the sheet over to expose the beauty that lay beneath, and felt her breath catch.
Was she ready to get on with her life? Was she ready to let her past bury itself? Was she truly ready to step toward the future? This beauty before her made her think twice about her shedding her feelings of pain.
———
Morgan was glancing through articles that would soon appear on Strut’s pages when a rap on the door tore her attention from the computer screen. She turned to see a handsome man standing inside the open door. His limp hair hung in waves on his head, reminding her of an overgrown surfer dude.
“May I help you?”
“Are you Morgan?” His dark almond eyes sparkled with friendly interest. He stepped further into the room.
“Yes, I’m Morgan.” She took in his build. His faded jeans hugged his hips, wrapped tight around the large bulge in his pants.
“I’m Matt. John asked me to come by to meet you so we could make plans for Friday night. I totally appreciate you being my date.” His eyes raked over Morgan.
Morgan wondered how John could have befriended this man. They were total opposites of one another. He was more on the geeky side of fashion, while this man looked as if he’d stepped right off the cover of a magazine. Why did this studly guy need his geeky friend to find him a blind date? There had to be some flaw here somewhere.
“No problem. I wanted to take a peak at Mr. Howard’s paintings anyway. They’re all related to football, right?”
He smiled back at her, displaying perfect white teeth. Morgan wondered if there was anything about him that wasn’t perfect. “Yeah, total football buff, he is.” He stepped further into the room, easing the door shut behind him.
Morgan shook her head at the sight of his luscious ass in those tight pants while he strode across the room and sank into her visitors’ chair. A quick image of Jay panting with lovestruck desire flashed through her mind. She smiled to herself. If she were interested in men, she’d definitely be interested in this one and give Jay a run for his money.
In the Eyes of Love Page 8