by Skye, Lena
“You okay?” Kyle asked with a concerned expression.
“Yes, I’m fine,” I said as I took a deep breath.
“You’ll get used to it.”
“Tell my body that,” I laughed nervously.
He chuckled and kissed the back of my hand. I always liked how he allowed me to be myself. He didn’t spend the next few minutes trying to convince me that I would get over it. He made it easy for me to have my own feelings and that’s something that’s hard for men to do. In my experiences they always tried to tell you how to feel or what to do about your feelings. That’s incredibly annoying.
After we were in the air we sat in a comfortable silence. I rested my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes. I wished that we could have stayed in California forever. I wished that we didn’t have to return to all of the chaos but the sooner that we jumped right in the better.
“I’m excited to get this new business venture going with you,” he said breaking into my thoughts.
I had totally forgotten about the business portion. He’d done a better job than I thought with getting my mind off of all the drama.
“Are you finally going to tell me exactly what it is?”
I sat up straight and looked at him, he gave me a sheepish grin, “Well I’m about to start a string of high end restaurants and clubs. We can test the market by playing around with a few different concepts and then the ones that are successful can be duplicated in other parts of Chicago as well as other states.”
My eyes widened at his suggestion, and I realized what a huge undertaking this was about to become. My heart began to race because we had a lot of work ahead of us.
“Well what part do you want me to play in all of this?” I asked.
I suddenly felt extremely inadequate because I didn’t have any clue about the restaurant or club industry. Sure, I’d been to quite a few but that probably wouldn’t help me much in that arena.
“You’re going to be my right hand. I’m learning about this business just like you are. So don’t feel as if you’re at a disadvantage. I’m bringing in some of the best of the best in the industry and so you’ll be sitting in with me to learn about what it’s going to take. We’ll navigate all of this together. So I hope you’re ready for the ride.”
I gave a small sigh of relief. I knew that if someone spelled things out for me then I could figure it out. Some concepts may go over my head, but I would spend some of my personal time figuring it out.
“I’ll admit that it’s going to be a little out of my element but I’m going to do my best. We’re in this together babe.” I said.
He brought my hands to his lips and gave my knuckles a long slow kiss and it went throughout my entire being. He had the ability to create a flame where there wasn’t any. I gave a content sigh, and it caused him to laugh.
“But that’s what I like to hear. You’re easily one of the most intelligent people that I know, and it comes naturally for you. What you don’t have in formal education you make up for in instinct,” he said.
“I still would like to get my formal education. I just think that it will make me a lot more confident in the long run. I’ve always wanted to do it, but I didn’t have the time or money.”
“Well, consider it done. Pick a school and that’s where you’ll go, you already know how I feel about that. We can get the ball rolling as soon as possible, and you can be in classes next semester,” he assured me.
“You don’t waste any time,” I said in amusement.
“Life is too short to waste time Camille. If there’s something that you want to do, and you have the means then there’s no reason to wait.”
“I like the way that you think Mr. Kane.”
“I love the way that you think, future Mrs. Kane,” he said. “Speaking of getting the ball rolling, it’s time for us to start organizing the wedding. Have you given any thought to where you want to get married?”
Did he seriously ask a woman a question like that? I’d been planning my wedding since I was seven years old. I always knew that I wanted it to be a very laid back ceremony because that matched my personality.
“I’ve always wanted to get married on a Caribbean island. I want to be completely relaxed with the warm air caressing my face. I envision walking down the sandy beach as I approach you at the altar. ” I said dreamily.
“That sounds wonderful and I will make that happen for us. We’ll start scoping out locations so that we can pick a date and send out invitations. Right now our main priority will be to get our new venture off of the ground immediately.”
“I’m looking forward to our wedding and I agree with you. We have a lot on our plate right now and we have to focus on the immediate issues.”
His arm went around my shoulder, and his head rested on mines. That moment in the air with him seemed perfect.
*
Our meetings with the advisers seemed to be endless. My brain felt like it was going to explode from all of the information that I was being inundated with. But we’d finally made a decision about the first 3 ventures that we were going to move on. Kyle had assembled his team and some of them were from his father’s business. I knew that wasn’t going to go over well with his dad, but they were well within their rights. The employees signed a non-compete agreement, and this business was in a completely different arena.
I was exhausted, but I was on my way to see Sandy because she seemed like she just needed a friend. I refused to allow my new life to cause me to abandon those that I loved. On my way there, Marcus called me. I was going to ignore the call, but I picked up out of curiosity.
“Hello?”
“Hey Cam, I need to speak with you,” he said in a smooth tone.
“Okay, what’s up?”
“I need to speak to you in person.”
“What is it about?” I asked.
“Like I said, we need to speak about it in person.”
“It’s that important?” I asked in disbelief.
“Yes it’s that important,” he said in annoyance.
I shook my head at my phone, but I knew that I couldn’t ignore his request. I considered him to be my friend and at the end of the day I trusted him. If he said that something was important then there was a high likelihood that it was.
“Okay, I’m headed out your way now. So I’ll be at your place in about 20 minutes.”
“Alright, come to the one in Oak Park.”
“See you soon,” I said before I hung up.
My mind began to race with all of the possible things that he could want to talk about. I sincerely hoped that it wasn’t an attempt to get me back. I’d been very clear about where I stood on that subject. He’d ruined any chance for a future with me because he’d made his choice about the life that he wanted to lead. Marcus chose drugs and money over me. I then began to think about my mother, and I hoped that she was okay. I didn’t want her to be a part of my life but I didn’t want anything bad to happen to her either. I increased my speed so that I could figure out what he wanted sooner because I was going to drive myself crazy with my theories.
I finally arrived at his house, and his door was wide open. He was expecting my arrival and so I walked up his stairs and entered his house. From the outside it looked like he had a simple family home. Once you entered his home, it looked like a rich playboy was living there. Everything was expensive, but there was no real style. There weren’t any photos on the walls, and there was no warmth. His hardwood floors shined brilliantly, and his white butter leather section sat in the center of his huge family room towards the 70 inch television.
He rose to his feet once he saw me.
“Hey Camille,” he said as he greeted me with a hug.
I returned it and made sure that our lower halves had some space between them. Once we parted he shook his head and grinned.
“Hey Marcus,” I replied.
“Come on and take a seat.”
I walked in and took a seat on the opposite end of the couch. I
stared at him because he didn’t seem in a rush to tell me what my visit was about.
“Okay you’ve freaked me out enough and you know how I am. So please tell me why I’m here,” I said.
“I just wanted to tell you the press has been blowing my phone up. They want me to sell them a story on you,” he laughed.
My stomach dropped because I never expected them to contact my friends or ex-boyfriends. All of the peace that I still had from LA had drained from my body.
“But don’t worry baby girl, I told all of them no,” he said.
I gave a huge sigh of relief, “Marcus thank you so much for that. I appreciate you being a real friend because a lot of people would have sold me out.”
“Well I told them no at first, bu then, they called back and offered me $5k if I sold them a negative story,” he said before I was finished thanking him.
I closed my eyes and hugged my arms to my body. That was the absolute last thing that I needed. They were offering a pretty good chunk of change for information about me. Even if Marcus didn’t tell, someone would. Most of the people in our neighborhood knew about my past, and it’s something that I’ve never disclosed to Kyle. I inwardly cringed when I thought about the field day that the media would have if they knew of my illegal activity. It would justify everything that they’ve ever said about me. I wondered if he would leave me over that news.
“But you aren’t going to give them the story right?” I asked to clarify.
He shrugged, “Honestly I could use the money right about now. I can’t afford to turn down 5k.”
“What do you mean you can’t afford to turn down $5k? You wipe your ass with that kind of money,” I said incredulously.
“Times are hard and I have bills to pay. But of course you wouldn’t know what that was like anymore now that you’re with white dude.”
“That white dude is my fiancé, so don’t act as if he’s some random man.”
Marcus angrily stood to his feet, “Look, I’m going to give them their story unless you give me 5 grand. It is as simple as that.”
“You can’t be serious Marcus! I can’t get that kind of money.”
He gave an angry laugh, “I don’t know who you think you’re trying to food but we both know that he will never miss that money.”
I stared at him as he stood over me. I tried to find the man that I once knew in his eyes, and I didn’t see him. The look that he gave me was one that he never directed towards me. It was the way that he looked at people that he despised. I didn’t realize how badly my new relationship had truly hurt him. I found that to be funny because he was the one that went off and had a baby. Now I was the bad guy because I was about to marry my prince charming.
“I can’t just take 5 thousand dollars without him noticing,” I said.
“I suggest that you figure out a way because I want the money by this time tomorrow or I’m going to be forced to call them and tell absolutely everything. I bet everyone would love to know what the ghetto Cinderella was like before she went from rags to riches.”
I stood to my feet so that I would not feel so intimidated by him. I refused to believe that the man that I grew up with and loved would do that to me. We’d been through everything together, and we never betrayed each other. That would go against everything that we’ve ever stood for.
“No,” I shook my head quickly, “You wouldn’t do that to me. You’re upset, but you still wouldn’t do that to me.”
“That just goes to show how little you know. Get my money or your face is going to plastered in every local newspaper and I bet some stations will want to pick the story up as well”
“And what does that mean for you?” I asked, “I’m no longer doing any of those things. My hands are a little dirty, but your hands are extremely filthy. You’re tied to everything bad in my past, and you’re still apart of this life. If you ruin my life Marcus, I’m taking you with me.”
“See now you’re pissing me off,” he said as he grabbed me by the throat.
I gasped from shock and yanked myself from his grip. He didn’t grab me hard enough to do any damage but it was clear that his jealousy had driven him insane. Marcus had never put his hands on me before.
“Don’t touch me ever again,” I said in an even tone.
“Just get me my fucking money,” he demanded through gritted teeth.
“Whatever,” I said as I headed towards his door.
“I’m looking forward to hearing from you.” His tone had changed to one that you would use with a friend.
I walked to my car in disbelief. Our friendship was completely shattered, and I never thought that was a real possibility for us. Tears streamed down my face as I opened my car door and got in. For the first time ever, I was afraid of him. He always promised to never put his hands on me and to never disrespect me, but I guess all bets were off. I’d seen him act this way with other people before and this treatment was reserved for those that he felt betrayed by. I finally came to terms with the fact that he wasn’t bluffing.
I picked up my phone and called Sandy. I would have to reschedule our girl time because I needed to think my way through the predicament that I was in. I headed back towards the penthouse and took that time to decide what I was going to do. My thoughts went to the pre-loaded debit card with $8,000 that Kyle offered me in case I ever wanted to go shopping on my own. I’d never used it because he already got me everything that I wanted, but it was my get out of jail free card for the moment. I breathed a little lighter, and I was happy that I had a temporary solution to my problem.
Now I would just have to ask him for the card. I wasn’t looking forward to having to lie to him over something so damned stupid. My past was haunting me, and I hated the feeling. I wanted to just crawl into the bed and snuggle with Kyle. He would make me feel better and chase away the feelings that I was harboring.
The following morning went much like the ones that we usually had, but this time my stomach was in knots. My hands shook a little as I ate a bite of my delicious Denver omelet. Kyle looked at me and gave me his winning smile and my heart melted. He was such a wonderful person, and I wondered why he chose me. I was full of drama, and I had a horrible past. He could have picked anyone that he wanted but yet he wanted me. I felt fortunate and guilty. But I still had to do what was necessary.
“Can I have the debit card to go shopping?” I asked.
“Sure,” he said as he rose to his feet and headed for the room.
His lack of hesitation made me grin from ear to ear. He didn’t bat an eye at my request or grill me over where I was going. I added that to my list of reasons why I loved him.
“You want me to go with you today?” He asked as he handed me the card.
“No,” I said quickly, “I’m going to get my hair done and a whole bunch of other stuff. It’s going to take a while, and I don’t want it to bore you.
“Alright, say no more,” he said.
I smiled and kissed him on the lips and finished my omelet. I drank my mimosa and tried to let it soothe my anxiety away. But I knew that nothing was going to make me feel better until I put everything at rest.
I left the house at about noon to meet Marcus. I went to the ATM and was severely frustrated because I could only take the money that I needed off of the card in $500 increments. Once I was finally finished I headed towards his house. He was at home and waiting for me. Once again his door was open and I walked in. He was seated comfortably on his couch and was playing basketball on his gaming console.
“Look at you, being all reliable and shit,” he said sarcastically as he placed his controller on the table.
I rolled my eyes and handed him the wad of cash. He slowly counted all of it and made a big show by putting it into 5 piles on his table.
“You did really good baby girl,” he said.
“Then we’re good?” I asked.
“Yes, we’re good for now.”
“I know you’re not going to play me like this,” I said.
>
“Play you like what? Play you the way that you’ve been playing me?”
I knew that arguing with him was going to be fruitless and possibly cost me much more than I was willing to pay.
I sighed, “Okay, you have your money. I’m leaving.”
Before I could turn around he said, “There is one more thing that I want you to do for me.”
“What is it?”
He grabbed his crotch with his left hand and leaned back against the couch, “Suck it for me just like you used to.”
“Fuck off,” I spat before I hastily retreated out of his door. I could hear his laughs as I made my way down his stairs. I found myself wondering what I ever saw in him to begin with.
#Chapter5
“I don’t know what’s gotten into you but I think I may like it,”
Kyle
I always miss Camille whenever she’s away from me even if it’s only for hours. I’ve become a pathetic sap, and I’ve loved every moment of it. She’s been a catalyst for me changing my life, and she’s enriched it in the process. That’s why I wanted to go out for dinner tonight. I took her to one of my favorite steak houses. Joe's was one of the best in my opinion, and we hadn’t had the opportunity to go yet and so it was overdue.
I looked over the table at her, and she was gorgeous. Her makeup was done flawlessly and so was her hair. However, I didn’t see any evidence of all of the things that she claimed to have gotten done. She looked the same, but there was no way that I was going to say that. Because if she’d gotten a lot of things done then I would be labeled as unobservant. No man needs those kinds of problems.
She kept biting her bottom lip and shaking her leg nervously. I wondered what was going on with her because she’d been acting weird since the day before. I was trying to not think of the worst scenario, but I wondered if she was having second thoughts about the wedding. She took the fact that we were going to wait to plan the wedding really well. Maybe she didn’t want to marry me anymore. It was possible that all of the bad press was getting to her. I wanted to shield her from it, but it wasn’t realistic. She would have to grow a thick skin if she was going to be a part of my family.