Gia (Women of Privilege Book 1)

by Bridget Bundy

  Just as I turn to leave, I spot his phone on the dresser by the bathroom door. Hannah’s number. I make it over without making a peep, and I turn on the phone. I swipe it, hoping it’s not password protected. Thank goodness, it isn’t. I select the text icon and look through the read messages. I can’t take the risk of reading the unread ones because Anthony will know I’ve been in his phone, and he’ll get mad or worse. He’ll leave.

  For the most part, the messages are very vanilla. She loves him but confused, doesn’t know what to do. She doesn’t want to talk about the affair. Anthony is forgiving. He loves her back. He wants to start over. I want to choke the shit out of her and slap Anthony back to reality. I’m right here. I love him, and that woman is who he wants. God, it drives me completely insane.

  I have to do what I have to do. She had her chance.

  I find his home number and Hannah’s cell phone number, and I commit them to memory. There’s another number that he calls as much as Hannah, but there isn’t a name to it, just the letters MPSG.

  Anthony shifts in bed. I hold my breath and don’t move. He doesn’t wake up. I close the icon and place the phone back on the dresser, just as I found it. Before taking my leave, I give him one last glance and tiptoe out of the room. Anthony is going to be mine real soon.

  Chapter Ten

  Grace’s funeral is solemn and subdued. There are no tears shed, no crying, and no shouting of sorrow. And instead of the entire family sitting together on the front pew, Nick and his family are the only ones there. Anthony is sitting three rows back at the end near the middle aisle. The church is filled with Grace’s friends. My parents are there. They’re sitting on the other side of the church near the back because they arrived late. The preacher gives his eulogy with ‘amen’ repeated several times by the members of the church. The choir sings with harmonious glory to God. The lead singer lends her voice that leads the church to singing with her. It’s all very nice.

  When it’s all done, food is served in the back of the church. Everyone is more at ease, except for Anthony and Nick. They make sure to keep their distance and not make eye contact. It’s sad that they can’t get along. Their mother is gone. Their father has been dead since they were kids, and they can’t get along for one day. It’s not right, but I can’t change what they refuse to fix themselves.

  When the get together is over, I walk my parents to their car. They’ve already given their condolences to Anthony, to Nick and his family. My mom, Jennifer Briggs, hasn’t missed that the brothers are not talking.

  “What is going on with those two boys?” she asks.

  “They’re not getting along, Mom,” I answer.

  “I can see that,” she remarks. “It’s why I’m asking.”

  My dad helps her take off her dress jacket and gives my mom a gentle kiss on the cheek. Those two are too cute. I want that kind of love, where a loving kiss is given without asking for it.

  “They need to straighten up and stop acting up,” she comments. “What you think, Old Man?” That’s what she calls my dad. His real name is Hunter Briggs.

  “I think I don’t have much to say about it.” My dad opens the passenger’s side door. “And Gia, I think you should not get involved in that mess.”

  My dad is the serious, no nonsense, no time for rumors type of man. He’s good at heart but impatient when it comes to things that doesn’t really matter. He loves my mom. Caters to her every whim and want, and he doesn’t complain. I can’t remember a single moment in the past that he has.

  “I’m only trying to help,” I remark.

  “Both of them are married. They have their wives to help them.” My dad cuts his eyes at me. I’m not going to say a word. I will not win.

  “By the way, where is Anthony’s wife?” my mom asks.

  “Austin, Texas,” I reply.

  “His mother died in a house fire, and his wife didn’t come with him?” My mom shakes her head. “That whole family got some real problems. Who he staying with?” She gives me the evil eye.

  “Not with me,” I reply suddenly. I don’t mean to lie, but I don’t want to hear my mom’s fussing.

  “He better not be at your apartment, Gia.”

  “Mom, stop it,” I remark. “Even if he was, nothing would be going on. Anthony and I are friends. That’s it.”

  “I like how you think you can tell me anything, and you’re foolish enough to believe that I would believe it.”

  Now, I’m ready for them to go.

  “Gia, I don’t know what I’m going to do with you,” she says.

  “Get in the car, Mom.”

  “What am I going to do with her, Old Man?”

  “She ain’t too old to get beat,” he says while assisting her into the passenger’s seat.

  She laughs. My dad cuts another disapproving eye at me, and I stand there like I’m six years old. Those two, I swear.

  My dad closes the door and takes me by the elbow towards the back of the car.

  He whispers, “I’ve been calling. Your regular line is disconnected. I call your cell, and it’s disconnected. I came by your apartment yesterday. You moved out.”

  This is not good. My dad knows that I’m not in that apartment anymore, too. I try to get him to focus on the cell phone number only. “Dad, my cell is not disconnected. What number do you have?”

  He pulls out his phone, searches the contacts, and shows me the number. It’s wrong.

  “Where did you get that from?” I ask.

  “You gave it to me.”

  I take his phone and edit the number.

  “Okay,” he replies as I give it back. “But that doesn’t fix the fact your apartment’s phone is not working, and your apartment is empty.”

  “I have something going on. I had to move out.” I’m not ready to tell him about my move into Tudor Estates and the reasons behind it. He’ll have a thousand more questions that I can’t answer right now.

  “Like what? You hiding from the police?”

  “No.”

  “Is somebody after you?”

  “No, Dad, no one is after me.”

  “I want to know what it is.”

  “I can’t tell you right now, okay, but I will. I promise.”

  “Are you in trouble?”

  “No, sir, and if I was, I would tell you and Mom.”

  “Alright, now, Gia. This ain’t normal. Just picking up and leaving without saying a word to anyone.”

  “Stop worrying,” I reply with a big smile.

  My mom opens her car door and yells back at us, “What the world you two talking about? Hurry up, Old Man! It’s getting warm in this car!”

  “I’m coming, Jen. I’m coming,” he says while he goes back to her side of the car and closes the door. He rushes back to me. “You sure you alright? Are you homeless?”

  “No, I’m fine.”

  “Where are you staying at right now?”

  “I’ll tell you later. I promise. And if you haven’t told Mom yet, don’t tell her now. I’ll sit down with the both of you later today or tomorrow and explain everything.”

  “You better.”

  I give my dad a kiss, and he pats my arm. I follow him to the driver’s side and hold the door open as he gets in and gets situated. I wave at them, and within minutes, they’re gone.

  That was too close. In my eagerness to keep my personal life really private, even from my folks, I didn’t think about the possibility that my dad would stop by my apartment. Actually, that’s the first time in a long time he’s done that. I wonder why he came over. I should have asked him. When I see my dad again, I’ll find out.

  I go to my car and pull out the new cell phone I bought this morning. Checking my side mirrors, I’m looking to see if Anthony is on his way to the car. He’s standing in the parking lot, talking to someone I don’t recognize. A guy with a patch of grey on his head, but he doesn’t look like an old man. It doesn’t matter. I dig through my purse, find the numbers I wrote down last night, and punch th
em into my new phone. I listen for a ringtone.

  My heart is racing so fast. What I’m doing is insane. The line picks up, and I stammer like an idiot. I disconnect and let out a breath that I didn’t realize I was holding that whole time. I look out the passenger side mirror again. Anthony is still talking to the same guy. That’s good. I try again. This time Hannah picks up much faster.

  “Hello,” she answers. This is the first time I’ve heard Hannah’s voice. She sounds like a sweet person.

  “May I speak to Anthony, please?” I disguise my voice to make it sound high pitched.

  “He’s not here. Who is this?” She is becoming alarmed.

  “My name is Brooke. You must be Anthony’s sister? He has told me so much about you.”

  “Anthony told you I’m his sister! He’s my husband!”

  I almost bust out laughing, but I swallow it. “He’s not married, honey. We’re dating, okay.”

  “What did you say?”

  “We are dating,” I remark calmly. “You know, fucking like rabbits kind of dating.”

  “EXCUSE ME! What’s your name again?”

  “Brooke, honey. Do I need to spell it out for you?”

  “Do not call here again. Do you hear me?” She slams the phone down.

  I look at the mirror, and Anthony is reaching in his back pocket. He’s checking his phone. She’s calling him! I get out of the car and try to rush and not rush at the same time over to him. Anthony already has the phone to his ear, and the guy he was speaking to is walking away. I can hear Hannah going off on him. I try to get his attention, but Anthony excuses himself from me.

  “Hannah, calm down! What are you saying?” He listens, and I can see his shoulders slump from the lashing of words Hannah is giving to him. “I don’t know who that is,” he says.

  “LIAR!” I can’t believe how clear her voice is that time.

  “I’m not seeing anyone by the name of Brooke.” Anthony looks over his shoulder and realizes I’m listening. He goes clear across the parking lot. I stay right where I am.

  That’s all I want her to say is that she wants a divorce. If she says that, then Anthony will let go, and there’s nothing stopping him from loving me. I watch him and wait. Finally, after a few long minutes, the call ends. Anthony is mad as hell, and he’s squeezing his cell phone hard. He comes back over to where I’m standing.

  “Is everything okay?” I ask, trying to show some amount of concern.

  “She thinks...She’s losing her mind,” he says. Sweat has collected on his forehead and nose, and Anthony wipes it off with his sleeve. “Let’s go, Gia.”

  “What’s going on, Anthony? Something is wrong. Tell me.”

  “Nothing is wrong,” he replies with aggravation. “Are you ready to go?”

  “Yeah, whenever you are.”

  He goes to the truck. I’m so scared and unsure at this point. Anthony is not talking to me, and I don’t know if that stunt will work in my favor. I’ll have to see what Anthony will do, and I’ll go from there.

  Chapter Eleven

  Anthony is quiet the entire trip. As a matter of fact, he’s shut me out. All the energy I’ve put into trying to get him to really notice me is only making him fight for his wife even more. He supposed to be reaching out to me, telling me his problems, and I’m supposed to listen, give advice, and open my arms to him. It’s not going like that at all.

  As soon as I park my truck in front of the house, Anthony is out. He walks back down the driveway, dialing Hannah. What else can I do to make him pay attention to me? I’ve allowed him to stay in my home. I’ve driven him around. I’ve listened to him. I’ve showed him that I’m on his side, but I’ve gotten nowhere.

  I get out the car and literally run into Natasha Mathis, the woman from the Summer Shorts Affair or whatever the hell that stupid meeting was. I didn’t even notice she had parked her car behind me.

  “I’m sorry, Gia. Are you okay?” She laughs easily.

  “I’m alright,” I remark. I glance back down the driveway. Anthony is almost at the sidewalk.

  “You left the meeting yesterday so fast,” she says. “I just came by to see how you doing and to invite you to lunch.”

  “I’m not hungry, Natasha. I’ve already eaten.”

  “You and Anthony look really nice. You two went somewhere special?”

  The alarms go off in my head. I ask, “How do you know Anthony?”

  “I came by after the meeting. He answered the door.”

  Now, I recall what he told me beside the pool. “Oh, that’s right. Anthony said you stopped by. We just come back from his mother’s funeral.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry. Well, maybe, you and I can have lunch or even drinks some other time.”

  “Actually, going out is a very good idea,” I remark. “Give me one minute.”

  “Sure.”

  I unlock the front door and walk down to the end of the driveway. “Anthony!”

  He turns around. Anger is burned across his face. I feel horrible, but I will not own up to what I’ve done. And I will do it again, despite how he feels. He must learn to hate her in order to love me. That’s the only way I can see this possibly working.

  “What is it, Gia?”

  “I’m going out with Natasha for a little while. I unlocked the house for you.”

  Anthony glances around me and sees her. She waves at him with a big smile. He lifts a hand and only musters half a grin.

  “Are you going to be okay?” I ask.

  “Yeah,” he says, looking down at his phone. “If it isn’t one thing, it’s another.”

  “I can stay if you want to talk about it.”

  “No, Gia, go ahead. I’ll be fine. I’ll see you later.”

  Again, he’s not letting me in, and it hurts more than I can say. I’ll give him his space, but I’m not letting this go.

  I get into Natasha’s car, and she backs out all the way to the street. I stare at Anthony as we drive by. He doesn’t even look up to wave good-bye to me.

  Natasha and I end up on Lake Street. She parks in front of a restaurant. Seating is outside, and of course, that’s where we sit. The fresh air, the early afternoon sun, and the quiet of the island are exactly what I need right now to clear my head. Perhaps, this break from Anthony will help me to focus.

  A waitress takes our drink orders. Black Velvet is the choice of drink for Natasha, and I order an apple martini. I want to ask her what kind of drink that is, but I don’t want to appear uneducated. Natasha looks like a woman of grace and intelligence. Just being in her presence, even though I don’t know her at all, I feel like I’m not good enough, not smart enough.

  “I have to use the ladies room, Gia. Will you excuse me?”

  “Of course,” I reply properly.

  Funny how I change to appease the person I’m with. With JD, I’m a wickedly bad girl. With Anthony, I’m desperate and out of control. My parents, I feel like a kid. In Joslyn Montgomery’s presence, I am a complete badass and a fuckin’ warrior. Now, I’m keeping company with Natasha Mathis, a seemingly nice woman, and I’m trying to act the same way. Bottom line is, I’m afraid to be shutout and judged.

  While I’m waiting for Natasha to return, I decide to put more of my plan in motion. After all, I am by myself. I pull out my cell phone. I type in Hannah’s cell phone number and type in the message: Anthony luvs me. Get over yourself bitch. I wait to see if she replies. She doesn’t. Hannah might not even have her phone on. I send another text message, anyway. Anthony eats my pussy so damn good. Then I send another. I can’t type fast enough. He cums in me. He tells me he luvs me every time. That’s all I send for now. I can’t wait to read her responses. She’s going to lose her mind.

  “I’m back,” Natasha remarks. “I wasn’t gone long, was I?”

  “No, I had to take a phone call, anyway.”

  “It’s a beautiful day, isn’t it?”

  “Yes,” I say with a nod.

  Natasha puts her elbow on the table. She
’s smiling like she knows something about me.

  “What is it?” I ask nervously.

  “You were on fire yesterday at the meeting.”

  “Oh.” I’m not proud of myself, but I know I’ll do it again if Joslyn tries to embarrass me. “I probably should have kept my mouth shut.”

  “It’s hard when you’re being attacked. It’s only natural to protect yourself.”

  “Why is she messing with me?” I ask with disbelief.

  “Probably trying to impress Charli. She’s always seeking approval from her.”

  The waitress comes back and places our drinks on the table. I’m not really hungry. So, I decline to order food. Natasha orders a chocolate and fruit fondue appetizer for two. I’ve never heard of it, but I’m sure going to try it.

  “Gia, I asked you out for lunch because I wanted to talk to you about Tudor Estates. You’re new, and there’s a certain…way…about this community that you need to know. It’ll make your life a whole lot easier.”

  I’m not sure how to take this conversation because I don’t know whose side Natasha is on, but I will listen, at least.

  “Okay, so, let me just start from the beginning. As you already know, there is the boulevard that goes off of Diamond Causeway that leads to the clubhouse and all four residential streets. Ours is first, Privilege Place. The street across is Prominence Place. Next to it is Prosperity Place, and the one across from it, next to ours, is Prestige Place. All the P’s you can think of. Anyway, Charli’s father used to own the land the community is on now. His company designed every home, labelled every street and landscaped almost every yard and all the common areas. Tudor Estates is what Charli like to call her empire. Her father built it. Her father put his blood, sweat, and tears into creating it, and as far as she’s concerned, it belongs to her.”

  “I paid cold hard cash for that house and everything around it, Natasha. It doesn’t belong to her.”