by H. H. Fowler
Annalise began slapping the sides of her head as if she were trying to put out a fire. The voices, which had abandoned her some eighteen months before had returned with a vengeance …you’re nothing but a ‘has been,’ an aging tomboy who will never be loved by another woman. Just as gay as you wanna be…how pathetic! Give up this pretending, because you know you don’t really want to be with Armando. You want Rena…
“I don’t want her,” Annalise screamed back at the voice. “Leave me alone!”
Ha, ha, ha, ha…of course you do. Admit it!
“No, I don’t!”
I bet you do…did you see the size of Rena’s breasts. Can you imagine how supple they’d feel in your hands? You’re only jealous because Armando has beaten you to the deal…
“Leave me alone!” Annalise screamed.
She moved toward the bathroom, almost tripping on a hard object that appeared to be a gun. She stopped in her tracks and stared at it for a long time. However, she only needed a second to figure out that the gun belonged to Rena; it probably flew out of Rena’s handbag when she’d tossed it to the floor. Holding her stomach, Annalise stooped down and picked up the gun, along with Rena’s handbag. She then went quietly into the bedroom area and pushed herself up against the headboard, studying the seamless chrome finish. Who would have thought that Rena would have been carrying such a powerful weapon on her person?
Annalise didn’t even care to know the reason why Rena needed a gun. The important thing was that the gun was now in her possession. A twist of fate that was sure to work in her favor. This time when the voice spoke, Annalise didn’t fuss with it. She simply allowed a devilish smile to crease her face.
You do know how to use a gun, don’t you?
“Of course, I do. And even if I didn’t. How hard could it be?”
Now you can do away with everyone who has ever messed with you and made you believe that you were a bumbling idiot.
“Yes…I agree…starting with Rena. Then I will work my way back…”
Annalise shoved the gun back into Rena’s handbag. No doubt Armando would return soon and Annalise didn’t want him interfering with her plans. So she slipped off the mattress, bent and then tossed Rena’s handbag beneath the bed. However, when she straightened up, the sharp pain returned. An indescribable sensation, which shot from the bottom of Annalise’s abdomen to the top of her head. She gripped her stomach for dear life and screamed.
****
“What was that?” Rena pulled away from Armando’s lips and stared at him with alarm.
“What was what?” came Armando’s unfocused reply. He wasn’t about to let Rena escape from his grasp. “I didn’t hear anything…”
“I’m serious…I think I heard a door closing or something…or someone yelling…” Rena began to push against Armando’s chest with a little more resistance. “Do you think it was the maid?”
“I’m not sure what you heard, Rena. I think you’re letting your nerves get to you.”
“And is that such a bad thing?”
“Come on, I didn’t mean it that way. It’s just that I’ve been dreaming of this moment since I was sixteen years old.”
“Maybe some dreams aren’t meant to come true. You’re married now…and you’re expecting a baby.”
If nothing else killed the mood, those words certainly did. Armando lifted his body away from Rena’s full-sized breasts and sat with his head against the sofa. Rena sat upright too, moving in next to him.
“I’m not mad at you for moving on with your life,” she said after a few minutes. “I mean, what did I expect you to do? I left Devin’s Cay to pursue my dreams and never once looked back to let you know how I was doing. Now here I am after twenty years, quick to defile your marriage bed. I am so disgusted with myself.”
“I don’t feel convicted in any way.” Armando turned his gaze to Rena. “I’m not going to lie to you, Rena. You broke my heart when I determined you wanted nothing to do with me. And for years I was angry with you because I knew you knew I wanted you, but you chose to avoid me – for whatever reason. And I believe despite our age difference, we could have had a wonderful life together.”
“I did what I thought was right at the time,” Rena said in her defense. “I couldn’t let you carry my burdens. You were just a boy –”
“I was more than a boy and you knew that. Besides, I would have thoroughly enjoyed taking care of you.”
“You say that now, but you had your dreams to fulfill as well. Have you forgotten how we met? You were making hundreds of dollars a month under that bridge, writing your own songs and singing them for anyone who would listen. It paid off and now you’re one of the most famous soca artists in Trinidad.”
Armando smirked. “I must say, you have always been excellent at deflecting from the real issue. But I would have put my dreams on hold for you, Rena. That’s how much I wanted you.”
“I wouldn’t have let you,” she said.
“Nothing you could have done would have stopped me from loving you,” Armando said. A heavy dose of nostalgia danced in his light brown pupils. “Because what you fail to understand is that I was in love with you then and I’m still in love with you now.”
Rena felt her cheeks flush at the directness of Armando’s statement. And for the first time in a while she was at a loss for words. However, that sentimental moment passed quickly between them because of the noise level erupting in the hall. It was so horrendous that both Armando and Rena jumped to their feet to relieve their curiosity. They opened the room door and were stunned to see paramedics rolling a pregnant woman on a gurney toward the elevator. The way she was howling made it obvious that she was in a lot of pain. Armando recognized the voice and soon found himself running alongside the paramedics.
“Sir, you can’t block the hall,” one of men in uniform said to Armando. “We have to get this lady to the hospital.”
“She is my wife,” Armando spat. “Tell me what is wrong with her.”
“What does it look like?” the man quipped. “Her water probably broke. We found her on the floor, writhing in pain! Where the hell were you?”
Armando’s gaze landed on Rena, who brushed up against him in an effort to get a clearer view of the commotion.
“She is your wife,” she said, intentionally keeping her jealous gaze away from Armando. “And I think you should ride along with her in the ambulance.”
“Come with me,” Armando pleaded.
“I don’t think so…”
Annalise’s screams suddenly erupted again, which was Rena’s cue to swiftly turn on her heel toward her room. She willed her tears to remain where they were, but by the time she made it into her bedroom, she was bawling like a baby.
Chapter Six
Tampa, Florida
Kevin’s photo shoot ran an hour longer than Hunter had expected and she could confidently say that her photographer was not the one at fault. It was all Kevin, who arrived half an hour late to begin with and then took an extra ten minutes to get into ‘character.’ The photographer had to constantly tell Kevin to look toward the camera, to show him some teeth or to adjust his posture. It wasn’t like Kevin to display such a level of disinterest, especially when it came down to posing for Hunter’s men’s jewelry collection.
Hunter, however, kept her cool, because she knew Kevin was doing it on purpose and was trying to get her to renege on her decision not to marry him. At least not anytime in the foreseeable future. Yesterday’s drama had taken the very desire from Hunter’s heart to be Kevin’s wife and although they’d talked at length about the reasons why he’d kept his connection to Shiloh Bethune a secret, Hunter was still reeling from the fact that Kevin had deceived her. How could she know for sure that Kevin wouldn’t deceive her again? His deception was the highlight of their discussion and it had cast an ugly mood on their relationship.
“I’m astounded to know how deeply you were connected to Shiloh,” she’d explained to Kevin, while he sat in the passenger seat of h
er rental car. “But your past with that woman means nothing to me. And it would be unfair to hold you to it, because I was not in your life at the time. But you should have come clean about Shiloh when she showed up at my jewelry showcase in Lakeland. I had to stomach her flirtatious behavior while giving my vote of thanks. Do you know how much that bothered me – to see the man I care about, sharing pleasantries with my competition? You were so interested in what Shiloh had to say, you weren’t even paying attention to me.”
Kevin dropped his head toward his knees, emotionally exhausted from pouring his heart out to Hunter. He remembered that evening quite well at the jewelry showcase, how Shiloh not only made a play for the member between his legs but also for Hunter’s hard-earned efforts. Shiloh had certainly appealed to his ego, offering him millions of dollars to proliferate her selfish agenda. But Kevin was more prepared to resist Shiloh than jeopardize his relationship with Hunter. So contrary to what Hunter thought, he was not having pleasantries with Shiloh. His only regret was that he wasn’t upfront with Hunter from the start. If he had he could have avoided the unnecessary lies and confusion.
“I cannot tell you how sorry I am,” he said. “But you should know that I told you the truth when I said I hadn’t accepted any of Shiloh’s offers or her suggestions to make a play for your company. Shiloh is a ruthless business woman and I didn’t want you or your company anywhere near her. At the time, I was thinking I needed a little space to figure out how to beat Shiloh at her own game.”
“I could have handled Shiloh and her treacherous gimmicks,” Hunter said. “You said so yourself that I would have seen through Shiloh’s plan to sink my influence into the jewelry market. But I just don’t get why you felt you had to keep your past relationship a secret. It brought your own integrity into question. How do I know for sure you’re being completely honest with me now? As far as I’m concerned, you and Shiloh could still be seeing each other.”
“We’re not…”
“And I repeat: How can I be sure? Moments ago, I saw you two kissing and arguing like long time lovers…” Hunter paused to take a deep breath. “You know what, it doesn’t matter. I have decided that your decision to call of the wedding was the best thing you could have done.”
Kevin lifted his head and locked his piercing gaze on Hunter. “You don’t want to marry me?”
“You were the one who said you can’t marry me.”
“But that was before I explained this whole ordeal to you.”
“Kevin, please don’t make an issue out of this. Let your decision stand, I think we both could use the time apart to think about our next move. Because frankly, I don’t think you’ve seen the last of Shiloh Bethune. Settle your issue with her before trying to start a new life with me.”
“There is no issue. Shiloh and I are done – we were done five years ago when she willfully aborted our baby. I don’t want anything to do with that woman –”
“Don’t forget,” Hunter interrupted, “you have a photo shoot in the morning. But I completely understand if you don’t want to do it. Like I said, I can get someone else to pose in your stead.”
Kevin grew quiet. Hunter had intentionally changed the subject, which was her way of saying that she’d had her fill of talking about Shiloh Bethune. What else was left for him to do? He would only make things worse if he continued to plead his case. Reluctantly, he opened the car door and stepped out onto the pavement. But before he walked away, he mumbled to Hunter that he hadn’t any problem showing up for the photo shoot.
“We’re done for today with Mr. Beckford,” the photographer announced and brought Hunter back from her troubled thoughts. “However, the poses weren’t his best. Maybe we should set up another session in two weeks.”
“No need, Ivan,” Hunter assured. “I’m only using these shots of Kevin for my website anyway. They will have to do.”
“Well, it’s a good thing he has a nice face, or else I would have said we’d completely wasted our time.”
Hunter hugged Ivan on his way out. “He does have a nice face – too nice if you ask me. In any event, your patience was on point today. Thank you and I’ll see you when I get back to Devin’s Cay.”
“Alright, beautiful. Take care of yourself.”
When Ivan exited out of the studio suite, Hunter turned to face Kevin. “You’re lucky you’re one of Ivan’s favorites.”
Despite his listless attitude, Kevin smirked. “So I have a nice face, huh?”
“I was merely agreeing with Ivan.” Hunter pinned her lips together to hide her smile.
“I don’t think so…you’ve been staring at me the entire time.”
“Because I was stunned by how disinterested you appeared in front of the camera. If you didn’t want to be here, you should have called me and let me know. You had us waiting long enough.”
Kevin slid off the stool he’d been sitting on and made his way over to Hunter. Her blue eyes followed his hand as he reached out to push loose strands of her blonde hair behind her ear. She didn’t object to him touching her and Kevin could only assume that Hunter’s heart had softened toward him overnight.
“Do you love me?” he asked her.
Hunter gave her eyes a small roll. “Kevin, please…”
“It’s just a yes or no question.”
“But why ask it now, knowing how things stand between us?”
Kevin ignored Hunter’s question for the moment and reached into his pocket to pull out an engagement ring – a very expensive diamond he’d bought from the Hunter Rose collection. He’d been carrying it around in his pocket for the last few days, hoping at some point to make their betrothal official. He took hold of her left hand and pressed his lips against the smooth, creamy complexion. He then slipped the ring onto her wedding finger. It was an impromptu, but daring move on Kevin’s part. But it felt right and he could see that Hunter needed to be assured of his love for her. The whole time, she’d angled her gaze away from him.
“I was awake all night thinking about what you said to me yesterday,” Kevin said. “The part about my integrity being brought into question. It made me realize that trust is extremely vital in a relationship and that no relationship can thrive without it. I can understand your reservations about entering into a lifelong covenant with me. But if there is anything that I can do to redeem myself and to put that winning smile back on your face again, I won’t hesitate to do it.”
Kevin gently touched Hunter’s chin and turned her face toward him until her teary gaze connected with his. “I have dissolved my partnership with Brier and Co., effective immediately. That moment when I walked in on Shiloh and Brier screwing on the boardroom table, I felt the course of my life took a sudden change of direction. I knew it was time for me to leave Tampa and all of this craziness behind me. In fact, I’ve been considering this move for a while – to start afresh somewhere else, with the woman who won my heart the moment I laid my eyes on her.”
At this juncture, Kevin eased down on one knee. “I know it’s only been four short months since we’ve been together and that there is still a lot of ground we need to cover before we make such a huge step. But I have never in my life felt this strongly about a woman, not the way I feel for you, Ms. Hunter Rose. And while I can’t promise that I won’t hurt you again – even though I will strive my hardest not to – I promise to be honest and forthcoming with you. Truth and transparency will be the foundation of our bond. So let this ring symbolize the beginning of a fresh start…a commitment to love and to cherish each other for the rest of our lives.”
Hunter’s heart slammed against her chest when her eyes landed on the ring, one of her masterpieces from her Nuptial Collection, created exclusively for select clientele. She wondered how Kevin had gotten his hands on it when it hadn’t even been publicized. She opened her mouth to say something, but instead of a flow of words, a flow of tears threatened to roll down her cheeks.
Kevin’s eyes watered in response. “Will you marry me, Ms. Hunter Beckford – I m
ean, Hunter Rose? Oh man, I’m already changing your last name…I’m so sorry about that…”
Hunter bent her head and laughed, despite her emotions being all over the place. She leveled her gaze back to Kevin and was struck with how genuine he appeared in his efforts to ease himself back into her good graces. It was amazing what talking to God could do within a situation. Even though she’d been turned off about the whole idea of marriage, she’d ended her prayer by asking God to let His will prevail in her life.
“If I agree to be your wife,” she said, “you must commit to attend some weeks of Christian counseling along with me. In fact, we both need to commit our lives to the Lord – if we expect to have a successful marriage. Because we have experienced firsthand how futile it is to exclude the wisdom of God from our decisions.”
Kevin took Hunter’s words in stride. With Hunter’s continuous allusions to a higher power, Kevin more or less expected to be faced with the ultimatum. However, he was prepared for the paradigm shift. Because literally, he could not think of anything that could topple having both God and Hunter in his life.
With a sincere nod of the head, Kevin asserted, “Agreed. But I will be doing this for me, as well. We start right, we’ll end right.”
Hunter smiled at the familiar proverb.
“So,” Kevin asked, “does that smile signify a ‘yes’?”
“Well,” Hunter stalled, holding out her hand to study the perfectly cut diamond. “How could I say no, wearing such an exquisite ring that came from my Nuptial Collection? I’d be a fool, don’t you think, to disown it? And to imagine your hard work of procuring this ring, all going to naught…” Hunter paused, turning her attention again to Kevin. “Yes…I think I will take a chance and marry you.”
Kevin’s eyes beamed with relief, his excitement causing him to pull Hunter into his bosom. And as if that wasn’t enough, he rained down kisses on the top of her blonde curls, gradually finding her lips to emphasize his gratitude. His cell phone was clamoring in his pocket, but he ignored it, as his full attention had been given to Hunter. But Kevin would soon be troubled to know that it had been Shiloh Bethune, desperately trying to push herself back into his life.