1 Night Stand

by Amaleka McCall

“You promised me.” Lyric stood up abruptly. “I knew you were lying. I knew you would go back to your life and forget all about mine.”

  “Lyric, wait,” Harmony called after her, but Lyric stormed off and got lost in the crowd.

  Lyric went outside to one of the outdoor bars. She needed a drink. Now. She tapped on the bar’s glass top to get the bartender’s attention.

  “Let me get Henny straight,” Lyric demanded.

  Lyric regretted even coming to the repast. She would’ve been fine going back to Harlem and getting wasted. She was kicking herself for letting Rebel pressure her just because it was going to be his first time in the Hamptons.

  Lyric’s mind raced with thoughts. When Harmony was gone, her life would go back to the same hamster wheel of partying, drinking, and drugging. The thought alone exhausted Lyric, but what else did she have?

  She turned from the bar while she waited for her drink and looked out at the beautiful, sprawling green lawn and the different cliques of people huddled together talking, laughing, and drinking. Lyric scanned the crowd, thinking Ava didn’t have nearly as many friends as were in attendance at the repast. Half of the people there probably had never met Ava.

  Lyric had to wonder how so many people gathered for a woman they didn’t know. She wondered if all of these people were there in support of Melody or just to say that they’d attended an event that Melody the megastar had thrown, even if the event was as morose as a funeral repast.

  Lyric shook her head. Nothing was small and private when it came to Melody. Not even her mother’s funeral.

  As Lyric examined the strangers, something caught her eye. She squinted, stood up straight, and stretched her neck out for a better look.

  “Ain’t this about a bitch,” Lyric mumbled under her breath. She watched as Melody giggled in Ron’s face like a teenage girl with a crush. Ron had a drink in his hand, and he didn’t look so uncomfortable entertaining his wife’s sister either. In fact, he looked a bit too comfortable.

  Lyric’s insides immediately heated up. Hadn’t Melody caused enough trouble between Ron and Harmony already?

  “Here you go, Miss.” The bartender interrupted Lyric’s concentration.

  She grabbed her drink. As Lyric stomped toward Ron and Melody, she grew angrier and angrier. She had watched Melody take things from Harmony all of her life. Most of the time, Melody wasn’t even interested in the things Harmony had; she just wanted them because Harmony had them. Lyric knew Melody so well.

  Melody and Ron stood so engrossed in conversation that it took them a few seconds to even realize Lyric had approached and was standing there.

  “What’s this all about?” Lyric interrupted rudely, taking a big swig from her snifter.

  “Oh, hey, Lyric,” Melody chimed, flashing her winning smile as if she didn’t have a care in the world. “Have you met your brother-in-law, Ron?”

  “Of course I have,” Lyric replied. “But do you remember that he’s your brother-in-law?”

  Melody laughed. “Of course I do,” she came back sarcastically. “I was just getting to know him better since I seem to be the only one that wasn’t invited to the wedding.”

  “Looks to me like you’ve gotten to know enough,” Lyric said, grabbing Ron’s arm and pulling him aside.

  “You’re mad at your wife so you make pals with her sister who caused your argument in the first place?” Lyric asked, her tone serious.

  “It was nothing like that. She approached me. I was just listening.” Ron pled his case.

  Lyric wasn’t buying it. “Your wife is inside with your baby, feeling pretty terrible,” Lyric whispered gruffly. “She would feel worse if she saw you right now. That is not a road you want to go down.” Lyric nodded in Melody’s direction. “That’s a dangerous game that, trust me, you won’t win.”

  “I’ll go check on Harmony,” Ron said, quickly taking Lyric’s cue. He set his drink down on one of the satin-wrapped high-top tables. “Excuse me,” he huffed as he walked away in a hurry. He pulled out his pocket-sized breath spray and squirted it a few times into his mouth.

  Lyric turned her attention back to Melody, who had moved on to giggling and flirting with another handsome guest. Melody was just like Ava, always there for any attention from a man. Lyric grabbed Melody’s shoulder and forced her to turn around.

  “Excuse me for a minute,” Melody said to her guest, followed by an awkward laugh. When she was finally face-to-face with Lyric, she pursed her lips.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” Melody gritted.

  “The one thing I won’t see you do is destroy Harmony again,” Lyric whispered harshly.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Melody shot back, her voice just as harsh.

  “You know exactly what I’m talking about. We are not kids anymore. You can’t keep taking everything from her. Especially not this,” Lyric said with feeling.

  Melody chortled. She looked at Lyric through narrowed eyes. Lyric could see fire flashing in Melody’s eyes. “If I were you,”—Melody grabbed Lyric’s arm and turned it over so that her track marks were face up and visible—“I’d worry about my own problems.”

  Lyric wrestled her arm away and pouted. Her chest moved up and down, and her hands curled into fists at her side.

  “You better remember something. Everybody has a price, little sister, and I just happen to be wealthy enough to pay the price when I really want something,” Melody said, storming off.

  Lyric’s heart pounded. She could see herself running after Melody, wrestling her to the ground, and pounding her face with her fists. Lyric had wanted to do that for years. She hated that Melody held so much power over all of them.

  Lyric took the rest of her drink to the head and winced as the strong liquid burned going down. She could already tell that this reunion with her sisters was going to end up being a disaster.

  Lyric rushed toward the house. She needed to find a bathroom and quick. The relief package she had in her purse was calling out to her. Lyric needed to escape and fast.

  Chapter 13

  Harmony

  “I’m sorry.” Ron moaned the words into Harmony’s mouth as his hands worked furiously to unzip her dress.

  “Me too.” She breathed heavily, her words hot on his lips, her hands snaking down to the bulge in his pants.

  “I missed you,” he said, panting.

  Harmony closed her eyes as her dress fell down around her ankles. She was so glad to be alone with her husband at last. Away from her sisters. The stress. The hungry-for-a story crowds. Harmony hated when she and Ron argued.

  “Oh God, baby. I missed you so much too,” she groaned, throwing her head back as he trailed his tongue down the ladder of her throat.

  Harmony inhaled his scent. She embraced the fine sheen of sweat on his face as it dampened her own skin. Harmony hissed when Ron stopped at her weak spot—her breasts. He carefully lowered his hot mouth over the dark, rigid skin of her erect nipples. Harmony gasped.

  Ron suckled her breasts at first gently, then slightly rougher. He walked her backward a few steps. She fell back on the hotel’s couch and grabbed onto the back of Ron’s head.

  “Don’t stop. Don’t stop,” she said, her breath catching in her throat.

  Ron dropped to his knees and wedged himself between her legs. He moved his tongue from her breasts, down the curve of her abdomen to her inner thighs. He kissed the insides of each thigh gently.

  Harmony moved her thighs apart wider, giving him full access. The anticipation of what was to come made her mouth water.

  “Oh,” Harmony belted out, arching her back as he blew on her gently. “Oh my God, I love you, Ron,” Harmony huffed, her voice gruff with lust. Electricity pulsed through her entire body. Harmony began panting through her slightly opened lips. Her heart was racing and her thighs trembled.

  Harmony let out a small gasp as her body became engulfed in the heat of desire. She reached down and pinched her erect nipples, sending an even
stronger electric sensation flooding all over her body. The combination of what was going on below her belly button and the pressure she was putting on her nipples was almost too much to handle.

  “Yes,” she whispered lustfully, lifting her hips slightly toward his mouth.

  Ron thrust his long, wet tongue deeper into her warm, gushy center. He used his hands to gently part the petals of her flower, carefully lapping up every bit of her nectar.

  “I want to feel you,” Harmony whispered. “All of you.”

  Ron stood up and took off his pants. Harmony shivered just looking at his washboard abs and strong, muscular legs.

  Ron lowered himself down in front of her. “You ready for me?” he teased, licking his lips lustfully.

  Harmony shook her head and licked her lips too. Ron pulled her closer to him until her hips were hanging off the edge of the couch.

  “Ah,” Harmony winced as Ron used his steel-hard member to fill her up. Harmony’s body was on fire. She lifted her pelvis in response to Ron’s rhythmic thrusts. Their bodies moved in sync, each feeling the buildup in their loins. Harmony’s hands splayed across Ron’s back like a pair of wings.

  “Oh God!” Harmony crooned. Her inner thighs vibrated from the explosion of pleasure filling her body. She could feel the pressure building in her loins, just on the verge of climax. Her screams urged Ron on. He grinded into her pelvis with longer, deeper strokes. Her slippery walls responded immediately, pulsating and squeezing him tight. Ron growled as his body picked up speed. He was at his tipping point.

  “Is it all mine?” he huffed in Harmony’s ear. The heat of his breath sent stabs of heated sparks down her spine.

  “Yes. Yes.” Harmony gasped, losing her breath as Ron slowed down and began grinding into her slowly again.

  “You ready?” he huffed.

  “Ah!” she screamed out, tightening her legs around his waist as her walls pulsed in and out.

  Ron followed with a muscle-tensing climax of his own. He collapsed on Harmony’s chest. She reached down and stroked his head gently.

  “I’m sorry I yelled at you.” Ron was the first to speak.

  Harmony closed her eyes. She just wanted to cry. She loved Ron so much. “It’s my fault. I should’ve told you about the little trick Melody pulled with telling the reporters we were going on tour before even discussing it with us. I should’ve also told you about the promise I made to Lyric,” Harmony said regretfully.

  Ron lifted his head so that he could look her in the eyes. He tilted his head slightly, waiting for her to explain.

  “I promised her I wouldn’t leave her again. That I’d be here for her until things got better,” Harmony said. She could see Ron’s eyes narrow.

  “Here? Meaning in New York . . . in Brooklyn?” Ron asked, looking directly in her eyes for clarification.

  “Yes,” Harmony replied, her voice just above a whisper.

  “I can’t believe you.” Ron blew out an exasperated breath. He moved from between her legs and sat on the floor with his back against the couch.

  “Wait. Just let me explain.” Harmony sat up. She touched his shoulder gently.

  Ron shrugged his arm away from her touch. “It just gets deeper and deeper, the lies,” Ron grumbled. “All it took was a trip back here to fuck everything up, huh? To change your priorities just like that. All the while you were worried about seeing your sisters, I should’ve been the one worried.”

  “No. Baby, please listen to me,” Harmony pleaded.

  “I’ve been listening to you.” Ron raised his voice. “All I hear out of your mouth is things you’ve kept from me. All I hear is that you made a commitment to someone other than me and Aubrey.”

  “I was going to tell you. I just have to make sure Lyric is going to be okay. She’s really not doing well,” Harmony confessed, her words coming out in a rush of breath. “Ron, I have to save her. I feel responsible for the way things are with her right now. I feel responsible for her, especially now,” Harmony said, her voice cracking.

  Ron palmed his head. “She’s grown!” His voice went up.

  Harmony jumped. Her entire body trembled. “I can help her.”

  “So after everything that happened—the turning their backs on you, leaving you broke and in the cold, cursing you out—you’re really considering going on your sister’s tour and being away from the life we’ve built because you think you can save your other sister?” he repeated for clarity. “You know damn well you can’t save someone who doesn’t want to be saved.” His eyes narrowed to a pinprick.

  “It’s not that cut and dry, but I made a promise.” Harmony swallowed. She felt like she was being ripped apart, like each of her arms were being pulled in opposite directions.

  Ron got to his feet. “Oh, yeah, you made a promise, Harmony, and what about us?” Ron asked, pointing behind him to the hotel bed where Aubrey slept soundly. “What about our life at home and our business? What about the promise you made to me? You just abandon us for the sisters that didn’t give a fuck about you or your feelings these past three years?”

  Tears ran down Harmony’s cheeks. She was so conflicted. She shook her head, trying to find the words to explain her obligation to Lyric or her need to somehow feel connected to Melody now that Ava was dead. She had never told Ron about the things Lyric had endured at the hands of Ava and for the sake of the group. It was the one thing she had found hard to discuss with him.

  Harmony closed her eyes and sobbed. She couldn’t stop the images of Lyric, that night, screaming over and over again after Andrew Harvey suffered a heart attack and died while he was having his way with her. Lyric was inconsolable. Harmony remembered her little sister’s deafening screams of, “I killed him! I killed him!” Harmony had tried desperately to calm Lyric to no avail. Eventually, the ambulance had to be called. They had put Lyric on a 72-hour hold in the psychiatric ward of Kings County Hospital.

  Outside of the hospital, Harmony had gotten in Ava’s face and accused her of ruining Lyric’s entire life. Melody had come to Ava’s defense. It had all turned for the worse.

  Harmony owed this to her little sister. She had to save her in order to save herself. Harmony knew that if she didn’t at least try, she would be no good to herself or Ron and Aubrey.

  Ron started putting his pants on in a fury. Harmony stood up. She tried to grab him.

  “Wait,” she cried. “Just let me explain, Ron. I can make this work.”

  “Don’t touch me,” he gritted, moving so she couldn’t lay her hands on him.

  “Where are you going?” she called after him as he roughly yanked his T-shirt over his head. He glared at her as he snatched his jacket from the back of the chair.

  “You don’t care where I go. You only care about yourself, remember. Harmony’s needs come first now,” Ron accused, his chest heaving. “Well, I have a confession too, Harmony. I had a drink today. There. All of this bullshit made me want to run back to it, Harmony,” he spat.

  Harmony reacted as if she’d been slapped in the face. She opened her mouth to speak, reaching her hand out toward him.

  “Don’t,” Ron growled. “Yeah, at your sister’s wonderful party, I had my first drink in three years, and you know what, Harmony? It made me feel good. The house, the party, the music, all of the rich folks: I felt like my good old self again. Yeah, that drink eased my mind. It took my mind off of you and your deceit. That’s what you want, right?” he continued.

  Harmony shook her head no. She couldn’t even speak. What had she done?

  “Yes, I got you figured out. You want someone to take care of so you can fulfill your sick need to care for people? You want me to be the old Ron again.... That’s what it takes to get your dedication, right? You were only happy when I was a project, a drug addict for you to save. A broken man for you to fix,” Ron spat cruelly.

  Harmony doubled over, unable to breathe, unable to control the onslaught of emotions threatening to take her down. She was losing everything right before her own ey
es. How could she have let this happen?

  “Go ahead on tour with your sisters. You deserve it. You deserve the money and the fame and to live that life again.” Ron’s voice cracked. “I’ll be around . . . maybe. Maybe I don’t deserve you, Harmony.” He put his hand on the doorknob.

  “Wait,” Harmony cried out. “Ron, wait.”

  “I’ve waited long enough,” he said, his voice hoarse. With that, he flung the door open and stormed out.

  Harmony jumped when the hotel door slammed. Aubrey started to cry. Harmony fell to her knees and sobbed. Why couldn’t she just let them go? Why was she destroying her life to take care of her sisters? Why did she have to save everyone? Harmony’s body quaked. The answer hit her all at once: because sacrificing and giving up everything for others was all she had ever been taught to do. That’s why.

  Chapter 14

  Melody

  Melody reached over and grabbed her home phone off of the receiver. Without even opening her eyes, she grumbled her “hello” into the phone.

  “Who?” Melody opened her eyes this time and looked around her room, confused.

  She twisted slightly and looked over at the empty spot on the other side of her bed. She closed her eyes and shook her head. Sly had snuck out after their wild sex session without so much as a good-bye.

  “Um. Yes. I’m here. You can send him up,” Melody said, her voice still thick with sleep.

  She sat up, looked around, and placed the phone back on the receiver. She touched her cheeks to make sure she was not dreaming. Melody squinted at the beautiful, glass-encased wall clock hanging on the wall across from her bed.

  “Its four in the morning. What the hell?” she whispered out loud.

  All sorts of wild thoughts ran through Melody’s mind as she rushed up from the bed and practically ran into her expansive en suite. Melody quickly splashed water on her face and swished around a cap full of mouthwash. She took a quick look at herself in the wall of mirrors over the sinks.

  “Yuck. A face with no makeup is not a face at all.” She mumbled the words Ava had said to her many times.