For the first time ever, she regretted sneaking in extra sips. Pearson wanted to give Niles what he desired. He wanted her affection, but she wasn’t sure how much she could coherently offer to him.
“Woo.” Pearson had made it out of her clothes and stumbled again.
Niles smile faded when Pearson fell into his arms causing him to lose his balance himself.
“Let’s go to bed,” she said. Pearson brushed her hand across his groin and giggled. His erection responded immediately. Stretching her eyes wide, she raised a brow and concentrated on the bulge in his slacks. “Is that a sax in your pants or are you happy to see me?”
Their kiss was passionate, but she knew it was sloppy. Entangled in his embrace, Niles pulled her body closer. Pearson hoped she wouldn’t pass out.
Chapter 39
Pearson
Before dawn broke, Pearson stirred, reached for Niles, and found his side of the bed empty. She sat up looked at the clock. It was after five in the morning. She felt a familiar thump pounding at her temples and rubbed circles around them. She pulled back the covers, whipped her legs over the side of the bed and took her time standing.
“Niles,” she called out, sliding her feet across the rug toward the bathroom. A glow of moonlight sifting through the window illuminated the way for her. Peeking in, she flicked on the light. Niles wasn’t there.
Pearson grabbed her robe from the back side of the bedroom door. “Niles?” she continued to call out as she tipped around the house looking for him. She peeked out of the front window. All of his cars were still there. Pearson searched for him in the family room and was struck with the harsh stench of liquor. Broken bottles were strewn across the floor. Dried splash marks created ragged circles in the carpet and spotted the walls with lines. Pearson looked around in awe. Nearly three thousand dollars’ worth of liquor had been wasted.
“Niles!” she yelled. There was still no answer. Racing around the first floor of the house, Pearson called his name repeatedly.
Finally Pearson noticed the door to the basement was slightly ajar. She pulled it wider and called his name some more. Pearson ran down the steps and through the basement, peeking in the media and work out rooms before she found Niles sprawled across the floor of his studio, on his back, with his sax still in his hand.
For several moments she watched his chest rise as he slumbered, thinking of the possibilities that drove him to break every bottle of liquor in the house.
Despite the scene before her, she thought about how much a drink could help her deal with Niles’ disappointment when he finally woke up.
Pearson backed out of the room, turned and sprinted the two flights to the bedroom. She rummaged through the drawers of her walk-in closet and found a hidden pint of cognac. She twisted it open and took a long sip. Wincing, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, looked at the bottle to see how much was left, took another sip and then twisted the cap back on and put it away. She slid to the floor and sat there waiting for her impending confrontation, accompanied by tears that wouldn’t stop flowing. If she managed to become numb enough, she could handle the impending fight.
It wasn’t long before she heard Niles’ footsteps approaching. She hugged her legs, wishing she could simply disappear. Her heart thumped louder as he drew near.
Moving as fast as she could, Pearson reached for the bottle again as she tried to gauge Niles’ steps. He was getting closer, but she believed she had enough time to take a quick gulp before he entered the bedroom. The burn soothed her as it went down. She closed her eyes to savor it for a short moment, but when she opened her eyes, Niles stood before her. His eyes were tight slits. Disdain dripped from his expression and he shook his head. Pearson looked from him to the bottle in her hand. Her body shrunk under the mass of shame.
In a swift motion Niles snatched the bottle from her grasp.
“I’m tired of trying to compete. No matter what I do, this,” Niles shoved the bottle in her face, “always seems to win.” He tossed it across the closet.
“No!” Pearson screamed flinching at the sound of it crashing.
Glass splattered everywhere and the odor filled the space. Niles turned his back and walked off, eating up the length of their large bedroom in just a few steps. Pearson ran over and grabbed him by the arm.
“Niles. Wait!”
He turned, snatching his arm from her grasp. The cutting look he gave her made her release him. “I can’t wait anymore, Pearson.” His intent wasn’t lost on her. He continued toward his closet on the opposite side of the room.
Pearson stayed on Niles’ heels. When he reached for his overnight bag, fear catapulted her into action. “You can’t leave.”
Pearson tried to grab the bag from his hands, pulling with all her might.
“Stop. Stop!” Niles yelled.
Regardless how unsuccessful she was in getting the bag from his grip, she persisted.
“Pearson!” Niles yelled. “I can’t do this anymore. Do you know that you fell asleep with my face between your legs last night? Because of your drinking, we can’t even make love anymore.” Niles walked up to her, pointing his finger. The hurt in his eyes was piercing. “You think I don’t see you taking shots behind my back?” Pearson covered her gaping mouth. “I’m tired of fighting a battle that I can’t win. All this time, I thought that if I loved you hard enough you would eventually choose me over the bottle.” He turned away.
Pearson was compelled by a desperate force. She ran after Niles and stood between him and his clothes, holding her hands out to the side. “Don’t you leave me, Niles! I’ll stop…” she panted, “but I can’t do this one my own.”
“I’ve heard that before,” he said and pushed past her.
There was no way she could let him go. With tears streaming down her face, Pearson ran through the room pulling bottles from the backs of drawers and behind furniture.
Niles watched in confused awe.
Pearson took the bottles and tossed them in the tub. With trembling hands, she poured the remnants from each down the drain. After emptying the last one, she melted beside the tub, taking deep breaths. “It’s over, Niles. I promise.” She looked up at him. “Just don’t….” Her words caught when she noticed the tears flowing down his face.
He shook his head, turned and walked out. Pearson wanted to go after him but couldn’t find the strength to move. She covered her face with her hands. Her cries rocked her entire body.
Chapter 40
Nadalia
Nadalia had spent the better part of the past hour in the great room with the lights out. The sun had tucked itself in for the night, but Nadalia found that she preferred the dark. It mimicked her mood. This way, she wouldn’t risk catching a glimpse of her red, swollen eyes in any of the decorative mirrors.
By late evening, Nadalia couldn’t seem to produce any more tears. Her phone still buzzed, chirped and rang, but she refused to look at it, afraid to see Sage’s number. The only person she called was Angela to make sure that she made it back home safely after she’d dropped her off at the airport.
Nadalia wondered what she would even say to Sage when he came home—if he came back home. The betrayal was enough to deal with. She may have been able to fight for her man had she found that he was unfaithful, figuring they could get past it. Couples overcame infidelity all of the time. She loved Sage enough to give him a second chance. Not that she intended to make it easy on him. He definitely would have had to work to regain her trust.
Nadalia shook her head and her eyes stung, but no tears fell. How could they ever overcome the fact that he cheated on her with men?
There was no conceivable way to get past that. She couldn’t successfully compute the whole ordeal in her mind. She wished she could just flick a switch and turn off the love she had for him. Then she wouldn’t feel so tormented. Maybe then, her heart wouldn’t feel like it had been snatched out of her chest and trampled on, causing her chest to ache.
How could she face the n
ext day knowing that her life had been changed forever? What would it be like without Sage? What would she tell her mother? What about their friends? She wondered if Niles, Mike and Anderson knew about Sage’s penchant for the male kind. Nadalia doubted that they were aware. But what about the wives? She had finally gotten to know them and was actually starting to like each of them. She could never tell the other couples the truth. Separating herself from the pact seemed like her only option.
Nadalia’s phone rang again and she continued to ignore it. But, she decided to at least see who tried to reach her. There were calls from her mother, Vonnie, and another from Angela.
There were no messages or texts from Sage. In spite of how upset she was with him, the fact that he hadn’t tried to reach out was disheartening. He should be trying harder, but would it have mattered? Nadalia dropped the phone onto the sofa and rested her head against the back.
The locks clicked on the door and Nadalia jumped up. Her heart raced, pounding against her chest at the sound of Sage’s footsteps as he entered and walked through the house. She stood, waiting to be discovered, refusing to be the first to call out. Listening, she heard him place his keys on the hook in the kitchen and walk around some more. When he arrived at the entrance of the great room, her breath caught and she stood stark still.
Sage paused at the entrance and stayed there. Apparently he was unsure as to whether or not he should venture inside the room. Nadalia didn’t invite him either. She remained steady. The outline of Sage’s body shifted and she saw him stuff his hands into his pants pocket. He did this a few times before finally speaking.
“Hey.”
Nadalia sighed. That’s all he had, she thought and didn’t bother to respond.
“Can I come in?” Sage asked.
Nadalia sat back down. That was her answer. Her breathing was returning to normal. Sage cautiously walked into the room. Nadalia wished he had stayed away for a few days rather than just one. Maybe with more time, she would have figured out how to handle seeing him.
Right now, her heart felt like it would just stop beating at any moment. The love she had for him wrestled with the turmoil from his betrayal and deep sense of inadequacy, leaving her feeling emotionally tangled.
“I just want you to know that I never stopped loving you.”
Nadalia covered her ears and screamed through the darkness. “Don’t you dare say that to me!”
Sage shifted his weight back and forth, from one foot to the other. “I didn’t expect this to happen.”
“You didn’t expect to get caught.” Nadalia turned away from him. “How long have you two been slapping penises with other men?” Nadalia stood and held her hands up. “You know what? I don’t even want to know.” She blazed past him and went back into the kitchen.
Sage followed, keeping a safe distance and turned on the light. “Dali.” She shot him with a penetrating glare. “Nadalia,” he corrected himself.
Her breath came in gasps and a fresh stream of tears began to fall. “I loved you…trusted you and this is what you do to me! Men, Sage! Freaking men!” Nadalia picked up a plate resting in the dish drainer and tossed it at him. She followed that up with two wine glasses and a bowl, missing him by mere inches.
Sage jerked and flinched avoiding the flying objects, which crashed and shattered across the marble tile. “Get out!” Nadalia tossed the entire dish drainer in his direction and fell to the floor in a wailing heap. “Get out of my sight!”
Sage tried to help Nadalia up and she clawed at him, scratching his face and neck. “Don’t touch me!” she cried, arms flailing, she landed several blows on his chest. Sage released her and stepped back.
Nadalia cried into the floor and screamed for him to go, wondering why he wouldn’t move. Finally, she lifted herself from the floor, slowly making it to her feet, and then hobbled back into the darkened great room.
Sage followed her again, shaking his head. “Please, Nadalia.”
“Please what?” Nadalia glared at him.
“We can find a way to work this out.” He pleaded with his whole being.
“This can never ever be worked out.”
“I made a mistake. I’m not sure how I even got caught up in this mess. It just happened. I didn’t expect it to…” The fire in her eyes seemed to have made him rethink his words. “I love you.” Sage changed his direction. “You can’t tell me that you don’t love me anymore. Can you say that?” Sage’s tone was desperate.
Nadalia walked over to him with an eerie calmness about her. “Love has nothing to do with it. Don’t worry about leaving. I’ll go.” Quietly, she walked to their bedroom to pack.
Chapter 41
Vonnie
Mike was released the following day. His attorney worked to get him before the judge before noon. Mike’s clean past earned him a release on his own merit without bail. Andrew had to pay $25,000 bail, which a very attractive woman in tight designer digs, long flowing wavy hair, and sunglasses—despite the fact that it was night time—paid for in cash.
Mike locked eyes with Vonnie in the back of the courtroom and she blinked away tears. Mike wasn’t cut out for the criminal system. He looked like he had aged since she saw him the day before.
Mike turned away and wouldn’t look directly at her again. Once his paperwork was properly stamped and his court date given, he was all set to go.
Vonnie stood as he approached where she was seated on the bench. Mike walked up to her, but still wouldn’t make direct eye contact.
“Let’s go,” he said and walked past her.
Vonnie expected at least a hug. She imagined he would be happy that she was there to support him after this ordeal. She was on his heels as they exited.
Andrew was outside chatting with his lawyer holding the hand of the woman who had bailed him out. Mike walked up, shook the lawyer’s hand and whispered something to Andrew. Andrew looked over at Vonnie right behind him and nodded.
Andrew walked over to Vonnie and said hello. She sneered at him. His girlfriend frowned and went to say something and Andrew raised his hand for her to be quiet.
“I’m sorry about all of this, sis.” Vonnie crossed her arms and looked away. “I understand,” Andrew said and leaned over to plant a kiss on her cheek anyway. Vonnie let that happen.
Andrew put his arm around his woman and waltzed away like he didn’t have a care in the world. Vonnie heard the woman say, “Why she mad at you? It wasn’t like you dragged him into this.”
Andrew told her to mind her business without breaking his stride.
Mike appeared by Vonnie’s side. She glared at him, shook her head and headed for the car. Mike followed silently.
Inside the car, Vonnie started the engine and was about to put the car in gear, then sat back. Moments passed in slow motion until Vonnie broke the silence. “Why, Mike?”
“Everything will be fine.”
“I don’t want to hear that. Do you have any idea what it’s like to sit up half the night and day wondering whether or not the person you love is dead or alive? I called friends, hospitals, precincts. People thought I was crazy. What happened to your one phone call? I had to find out about you being in jail from Trisha. Do you know how embarrassing this is? What were you doing in the car with a gun anyway? What were you thinking?”
Mike looked away and then finally focused on Vonnie seething in her seat. “Andrew was helping me out. He was going to invest in the business. We were pulled over. I didn’t know he had a gun in the car.”
“Are you kidding me? He’s a known felon! You know what he does for a living. And don’t expect me to believe this crap about him investing in your business.” Vonnie curled her fingers into air quotes. “Don’t insult my intelligence like that. We come from the same neighborhood.” Vonnie paused, waiting for him to come clean.
Mike avoided eye contact at first. Several moments passed before he finally said, “Okay. He was going to flip some money for me.”
“Mike! You gave him money to buy
drugs?” Vonnie threw her hands up in the air. “Don’t you realize you have put our entire family and livelihood in jeopardy? What if you go to jail?”
“I’m not going to jail,” Mike said as if he were very sure.
“How can you be sure? You were picked up on a gun charge.”
“Drew told them that the gun was his and that I had no clue he had it on him. He took the fall.”
“What about us?”
“I did this for us!” Mike shouted.
“No! You did this for you! Do you think Noelle and I care if we live in a mansion or a shack? It’s not necessary that Noelle goes to the most prestigious prep school on the east coast. What matters is that we can be a family together all in one place. What matters is that we don’t have to strip down and be searched just to spend time with you.”
“I care!” Mike yelled, and turned to look out of the window.
“Well I don’t. We’ve been broke before and if we’re broke again, we will survive! It’s not like we would have to move into the projects.”
“It’s my responsibility to take care of my family.”
“And dammit, it’s my responsibility to make sure you don’t go to jail trying to do it. Close the damn business if you have to and start a new one.”
Mike looked out of the passenger window and wouldn’t say anything more. Vonnie jerked the car into gear and sped home.
Words didn’t pass between them until they made it inside the house. Vonnie displayed her frustration by taking her shoes off and tossing them into the corner. She stomped over to the console in the foyer and slammed her keys into the draw before marching off toward the bedroom.
Mike lagged behind. Vonnie mumbled to herself when he walked into the room and he stood in the doorway watching her. She rolled her eyes and stripped down to get into the shower. Snatching her robe from the hook inside the door of her walk-in closet, Vonnie continued mumbling as she marched past him on her way to the bathroom.
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