Walk a Straight Line

by Michelle Lindo-Rice

  Gina crooked her head, but said nothing. Keith took a sip of water before he elaborated. “In other words, I didn’t know that once I saw you, the only thought that would enter my head was that I wished that I had met you first.” There, he’d said it.

  Gina blinked several times and her mouth opened and closed like a fish. Then her eyes widened. “But . . .”

  Keith strove to put her mind at ease after his bold admission. “Don’t worry,” he injected to lighten the air between them. “I have no intentions of following up on this emotion—”

  Gina interrupted, having finally found her voice. “So that’s why you brought me here? I mean, how am I supposed to respond to this?”

  “I just wanted you to know so that you won’t get the wrong impression when we see each other again, because I intend to keep my distance. I know that these feelings will sort themselves out in time.”

  Speechless, Gina couldn’t provide a more coherent, articulate reply than, “I see.” But, he deduced that she really didn’t get it. She didn’t understand that she’d literally taken his breath away. “Relax,” Keith advised. He laughed and gave Gina a small pat on the shoulder to reassure her. “Everything will be all right. You’ll see.” His grin depicted a confidence he didn’t feel.

  She nodded. “I hope so, because I don’t want, or need, any drama,” Gina declared.

  “I am drama free.”

  “Somehow, I doubt that.”

  “Somehow, I don’t,” he countered.

  Gina looked at him.

  Keith looked at her.

  Neither spoke.

  Both recognized drama, with a capital “D.”

  “If that man is drama free, then I’m Hillary Clinton!”

  After her “meeting” with Keith, Gina had entered her house, closed the door, and now leaned against it to compose herself. Keith’s declaration had taken her completely by surprise. At lunch, she’d had to grip the chair or she’d have fallen flat on the floor. She wasn’t even sure how she’d remained composed the whole time. She’d had to force herself to remember the rudimentary steps to eating.

  Brothers.

  Honestly, a part of her felt flattered that she had attracted the attention of two gorgeous, dynamic men, but they were brothers, and she was a one-man-kind-ofa-woman.

  Gina breathed in deeply several times to settle her nerves. She kicked off her sandals and walked to the sofa. Caught up in her thoughts, she slanted her body in the comfy couch and slung her legs on the end table. Keith had created an awkward position with his confession. She was dating his brother, and Keith was about to be a father. But still he dropped this bombshell. What did that say about his character?

  Gina dragged her hands through her hair while she contemplated. His declaration had seemed out of character. Keith hadn’t struck her as the kind of man to make a move on his brother’s girl—at least, not the Keith that Michael boasted about.

  To Gina, it felt like a soap opera—but his confession flattered her ego.

  Gina heard a vibration. She went to peek at her cell phone. Michael had texted. Thinking about you.

  Guilt surfaced, and her stomach knotted. Michael had been thinking about her while she had been out with his brother. She shouldn’t have gone anywhere with Keith, but her curiosity had prevailed against her good sense. Besides, she had no way of knowing that Keith would’ve made such a startling confession. Gina pondered. Should she tell Michael where she’d been?

  That would be a no! If there was one thing she had learned in her relatively short existence, it was that you never volunteered any information. What Michael didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.

  The next evening, Michael requested Gina accompany him for dinner at Keith’s. Keith had invited them both. Michael informed her that Eve would be there as well. Gina looked forward to it. She was curious to finally meet Eve and to see Keith’s house.

  They entered a private driveway that led up to a huge house. It looked more like a minimansion than a regular house. Keith was obviously doing well financially. Michael led her up a flight of stairs until they were at Keith’s front door.

  The door was unlocked.

  She saw Michael turn the lock, enter, then sniffed in delight. “Something smells good,” he bellowed.

  “I’m back here.” Keith hollered from somewhere in the back. Michael headed toward the voice, so she followed.

  Gina felt her insides flutter. She wondered if her nervousness showed on her face. She felt guilty, like she had betrayed Michael. Again, she debated whether she should have told him about having lunch with Keith. She tried hard to act normal, but her paranoia increased.

  “So, what’re you cooking?” Michael asked, peering into the pots. He was completely unaware of the turmoil rumbling through her system.

  Keith took the spatula and slapped Michael’s hands away. “Get out of my pots. You know better,” he warned, but his tender smile belied the reprimand. It was obvious to Gina how much the brothers loved and respected each other.

  “I’m making pot roast with carrots and potatoes,” Keith replied. “It will be ready in about five minutes.”

  Michael wandered off with something that suspiciously looked like a piece of meat. He carried his stolen goods on a paper towel in his hands, leaving Keith alone with Gina for a moment.

  Gina smiled with Keith at Michael’s ploy.

  “Welcome to my home, Gina,” Keith greeted.

  I guess he’s not having any problems. Gina felt disappointed. Keith’s face and mannerisms had not given anything away. He appeared cool, calm, and collected.

  “Hi.” That was her eloquent comeback. She averted her eyes and looked around the room. Gina tapped her feet nervously. Awkwardly, she tried to think of something—anything—to say. “I love your home,” she stuttered in an attempt to ease the tension in the air.

  “Thanks,” Keith replied, then gave her a smile. She saw him raise his eyebrows as if to demand that she lighten up.

  Play it cool. Gina expelled a breath. Suddenly feeling warm, she removed her light blazer showing off her backless cocktail dress. She needed to find Michael. That’s who she was here with. She saw that he’d gone to stand by the patio windows to devour his steal. She was much safer over there with him. That other one rattled her nerves.

  Gina’s breath caught at the view. Her eyes roamed the meticulous lawn and artfully placed rainbow assortment of flowers. The sweet fragrances permeated the air and teased her senses.

  She felt Michael reach for her hand before drawing her to him. Please don’t kiss me. Not here, not now.

  Michael kissed her with passion. Figures, now he decides to be more aggressive. Gina felt funny kissing him with Keith in view, but she still enjoyed it. Michael felt her acquiescence because he quickly deepened the kiss.

  However, Gina pulled away. She rested her hand on his chest and crooked her head in Keith’s direction. “Your brother is in the next room,” she whispered.

  Michael only laughed. “Trust me, if it was him, he’d be doing the same thing.”

  Do not look. Do not look.

  He looked.

  Look away. Look away.

  He didn’t. He watched the whole thing.

  Finally, they broke apart. That was some kiss Michael and Gina had shared.

  Keith was angry with himself. He could not believe that he had actually stood there spying on his brother and his girlfriend’s tender moment. He was a pervert, an ogre, for ogling his brother’s woman.

  Keith had seen Gina’s hands move down Michael’s back before she broke the kiss. He had seen Michael’s hands on her bare back, and he could imagine how soft her skin must feel. It should be me. He felt an inexplicable churn in the pit of his stomach. It was grinding him on the inside. What was wrong with him? This had never ever happened to him before. He and his brother had never shared the same taste in women.

  A pair of hands encircled his waist. Startled, he jumped.

  “Miss me?” Eve purred in his ear. />
  Keith turned around to greet her. He untangled himself from her grip.

  “I didn’t hear you come in. How was your doctor’s appointment?”

  She pouted. “Everything is fine, and you would’ve known that if you had been there with me.”

  “I’m sorry. I had a case. You know that. I explained it to you earlier,” Keith answered patiently and reached out to pat her protruding stomach.

  “I know,” Eve said, before she relented. He saw the exact moment she spotted Michael and Gina.

  Eve tilted her head. She moved her eyes up and down Gina’s silhouette. Keith could see the oh-so-familiar female dissection process that began whenever another woman was in his space. Eve considered every woman competition. Even his brother’s girlfriend. “That’s her?”

  “Yes. That’s Gina.”

  “She’s pretty,” Eve remarked.

  “Yes, she is,” Keith replied in a careful, noncommittal tone; then he decided it was best to not give Eve a chance to render her final verdict on Gina’s appearance, because she’d surely find something wrong with the dress or the hair or the makeup. “Michael, Gina, come here for a moment.” He made the necessary introductions between Eve and Gina, but his mind registered that the couple had entered the room holding hands like . . . lovers. He couldn’t help but wonder, were they?

  He directed everyone into the dining area. Keith had lit the entire room with candles in lieu of regular lighting. He wouldn’t admit that he had painstakingly done it all with Gina in mind. He glanced at Gina. Her lips looked red and swollen. Those same lips were now curved in appreciation at his handiwork, as her hands grazed the tablecloth.

  “Nice,” Eve murmured and pulled Keith closer to her, marking her territory. He allowed her the pleasure and motioned for everyone to be seated.

  As they ate, everyone complimented him on the food. Keith accepted their praises but every opportunity he could steal, his eyes fell on Gina. It was easy to do too since she was seated directly across from him. He watched her with deep intensity. He saw Gina bite into the meat. He saw her stick her tongue out to lick gravy from her upper lip. He watched her scoop the potato off the fork and into her mouth. It was killing him. This had never happened to him before. Attraction had punched him in the guts.

  “Michael, I almost forgot to mention that Keith and I will be working together,” Gina said.

  “Really? He didn’t tell me that,” Michael returned.

  “Yes . . .” As Gina filled Michael in, Keith ducked his head and concentrated on his meal. Eve’s eyes were burning holes in his skin, but he refused to look her way.

  Michael cupped Gina’s hand and assured her. “I’m sure you’re in good hands, Gina. With Keith on the case, it’s in the bag.”

  Keith barely acknowledged his brother’s bragging, because Eve poked him in his side. He gave her a look. What?

  She scowled. He would catch heat later.

  However, Keith wasn’t concerned. As Michael’s thumb stroked Gina’s palm, searing heat rose within him. Jealousy. It was green, and it was ugly. Keith strove for temperance. He loved his brother, and Gina was his brother’s woman.

  He wanted her.

  He couldn’t have her.

  That had to be the end of it.

  Chapter Six

  What was she doing here? That was his first thought. His second reflected gratitude that Gina wasn’t with him.

  “Hi, Mikey,” the woman said, using the pet name she always called him.

  Michael’s good mood evaporated. He dropped his briefcase and gasped. Immobile, he swung his head from left to right, taking in the plethora of open albums and scattered pictures. From her position on the floor, the woman looked at ease, as if she belonged there. Michael placed both hands on his hips and asked the sixty-four-thousand-dollar question. “Karen, what are you doing here?”

  “I, uh . . .” Karen Newton searched for words. She shuffled and gathered the pictures to stack them into piles. “I came by, and since I still had my access card, decided to let myself in. I got bored, so . . .” Karen splayed her hands at the display.

  “So, you decided to break in?”

  Karen shrugged.

  Michael exhaled. He resisted the urge to toss her out. He ambled over to where she sat and squatted to examine her. She’d put on some much-needed weight, because her usually gaunt face looked rounder. He took in her half-inch long nails and the huge hoops hanging from her ears. Karen had abandoned her natural look and had returned to relaxing her hair. She also had it cut and colored various shades of auburn, or chestnut. He wasn’t sure which. Whatever, he was pleased by what he saw.

  When they had started dating, Karen had stopped working and had hibernated in his penthouse, doing nothing. She had let herself go to the point where Michael had had to pay someone to come in and do her hair and nails. But now, she looked like her old self.

  “You look good—” Michael acknowledged and rose to his feet. He moved to sit on the couch, right before he added to his compliment, “and your hair. It suits you.”

  “Thank you,” Karen replied, before addressing the big question. “I guess you must be wondering what I’m doing here.” She gathered his albums and other memorabilia, then placed them back under the coffee table that they had picked out together. When she was done, she joined him on the couch.

  “Yes. I never expected to see you again after, you know . . .”

  “Well . . .” Karen explained, “time has passed, and I started thinking that, well, perhaps I had been too hasty to just let us go.”

  “Well, that was totally understandable after the way I hurt you,” Michael reasoned. His body showed nonchalance, but on the inside, he screamed, “I can’t believe this is happening. Why is this happening?”

  “Are you seeing anybody?” Her expectant face showed she hoped for a negative response.

  “Kind of . . .” Michael trailed off. Kind of? It was either yes or no.

  Karen raised her eyebrows at him.

  “Yes,” Michael clarified, “I am seeing someone.”

  “Oh . . .” Karen’s shoulders drooped, and she sighed. She hung her head.

  Her shaking tipped him off that she was actually crying. Michael’s heart went out to her, and he reached out to hug his old love.

  “I just . . . I just realized that I still love you . . . and . . . I just . . .” Karen sobbed and sniffed. She wiped her nose with her hands, and that simple act touched him. Michael turned toward the end table, plucked out a couple tissues from the box, and handed them to her. Karen blew into a tissue to get some semblance of control. He took another and gently wiped her face.

  “I never intended to break down like this. After all, it’s been almost a year. I shouldn’t have expected you to be waiting, especially when I made it perfectly clear that I wasn’t coming back,” Karen admitted.

  Worried, Michael’s eyes wildly scanned the room. He couldn’t meet her eyes. After her big suicide attempt, the last thing he wanted to do was reject her completely.

  “I just feel as if I’m going to die without you,” Karen groaned.

  “Please don’t talk like that.” Michael held his head as the weight of her words hit his shoulders. What should he do? “You’re not going to die, Karen,” Michael expressed. “I mean, just look at you. You got it going on.” Their eyes met. He felt a familiar stirring. No, this could not happen. Karen shifted closer and rubbed her face across his neck. He couldn’t believe she’d resorted to the oldest trick in the book. Well, he wasn’t falling for it. Michael jumped to his feet. “Karen. This cannot happen.”

  Karen stalked him. This must be how the bug feels when it realizes it’s been caught in the spider’s web. She pinned him with an intent, predatory gaze. Panicked, Michael used his hand to impede her from getting closer. “Look, it’s over between us, and I’m with a good woman, and I’m not trying to hurt her. So leave my spare keycard here on your way out. I’ll give you ten minutes and if you’re still here, I will call the co
ps.”

  He retreated into his bedroom after his ultimatum. He hated being so cold with her, but he wasn’t taking any chances, for his traitorous body might betray him. True to his word, he was out in ten minutes. He wasn’t prepared for the sight before him.

  The next day, Michael called Keith. Foregoing the perfunctory greeting, he stated, “I slept with Karen.”

  “You did what?” Keith bellowed over the line. “Did you say, Karen?”

  Michael raged. “Yes! Karen! She was here when I got home. I demanded she leave. I gave her ten minutes before I vowed I’d call the cops. She was naked. You know no man could resist that.”

  “That’s a poor excuse. When will you stop thinking with your—ah—well, fill in the blank!” Keith roared. “Gina is a class act. Karen is the closest thing to trash that I know.”

  Resentment burned inside him at his brother’s disgust. “Karen is not trash. I wish you’d stop calling her that.” She possessed redeemable qualities, despite her erratic behavior. But, Keith refused to give Karen a chance once he had her pegged.

  Keith was silent for a second. Then he conceded, “Well, maybe trash is a harsh description. But she is psychotic and, dare I remind you, suicidal.”

  Michael couldn’t disagree. Karen had cut up all his clothes down to his socks in a fit of rage; she had slashed his tires and had broken all his favorite music discs. Still, Michael had not ended things because he had given her good reason to be angry. He had dogged her out.

  There was also the fact that she wasn’t lacking skills in the bedroom. Maybe it was because she wasn’t too far from certifiable, but there was nothing that Karen hadn’t been willing to do or try.

  However, Gina made him a better man. Yet, better man or not, he hadn’t called her all day, which was unusual for him. Every time Michael picked up the phone to dial her digits, guilt engulfed him. He felt as if he were about to choke on it. Call him paranoid, but he just felt as if Gina would be able to tell by osmosis what he had done. She seemed as if she could see through his very soul whenever they spoke. No, he couldn’t chance it. He had to avoid her for a few days until his equilibrium returned.