by J. Lea
“The best birthday ever,” I say drowsily, right before we drift off to sleep.
Chapter Four
Ella
I just finished massaging my last client of the day, and now I’m outside Ace, waiting for Jake to pick me up. Today is the day I’m going to see his parents again, and meet his little sister. I’m a nervous wreck. I have no idea how they’re going to treat me after what happened the last time we were in a room together. I’m wearing a simple, figure hugging skirt, a light pink blouse, and black low heel pumps. My hair is up in a high ponytail. I’m standing with my hands crossed in front of me, always aware of the black car on the other side of the road. James is sitting in the driver’s seat, watching over me. After the incident with the photos, I’m immensely grateful that he’s by my side all the time. I’ve gotten so used to him I find his presence comforting. I check the time; ten more minutes before Jake arrives. It’s 2 PM, and the heat is making me dizzy. Jake and I returned from our vacation two days ago. It was heavenly. I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed myself so much and relaxed completely. It was a short, but sweet trip I will forever hold dear in my heart. Suddenly, I feel another person’s presence beside me, and I look to the side. The hair on my body stands up as I see who is leaning on the salon’s wall.
Kevin.
“What are you doing here?” I hiss, and turn my gaze to James to signal him in case I need his help.
“What? Perhaps I was in the mood for a massage,” he calmly replies.
“Why can’t you leave me alone?” Instinctively, I take a step back.
“Am I doing anything? I’m just a regular citizen, waiting for his massage.”
“I don’t believe in coincidences,” I say. From the corner of my eye, I notice James is already out of the car, coming toward us with long strides. I feel relieved. Kevin makes my skin crawl.
“Sweetheart, do you think the whole world is revolving around you? Just cause you’re one of Jake’s pussies, doesn’t mean you’re the center of the universe.” The tone of his voice is full of contempt, and his eyes are seething with hatred.
“What did I ever do to you to treat me this way? I don’t even know you!”
“You’ll figure it out soon. Jake’s not the saint you make him out to be.” His upper lip curls, and in his eyes I notice …anger? No, it’s not anger. More like disdain, and desire for revenge. I shiver at the intensity of his gaze.
“Did you send those photos?” I need to know if it was him.
“Miss Vaughn, is everything okay?” James stops before me, and I realize I won’t get the answer I’m desperate to know.
“A-Okay,” Kevin responds, looking at him from head to toe. “I think I’ll skip the massage today.” He turns and walks away.
“Miss Vaughn?” James gently grabs my arm, and looks me in the eyes. “Are you alright? Who was that man?” I finally meet his gaze, shocked about Kevin’s remarks on Jake, and I shake my head.
“It was the journalist that keeps harassing me,” I say absentmindedly, while James’s head jerks in the direction of where Kevin disappeared to. I’m sure he wanted to run after him, but Kevin is nowhere in sight.
“Hey, babe,” I hear Jake’s voice, and feel the press of his lips on my cheek, but I hardly register it. I feel like I’m someplace else, like I’m outside of my body. “What’s wrong?” Jake asks. When he doesn’t get an answer from me, he turns to James, concern on his face. James gives him a quick recap of what happened, but I don’t hear what they’re talking about. When I finally snap out of it, I turn to them, and see Jake with his hand over his mouth, and the other one running through his hair. “Fuck,” I hear him swear, and our eyes meet.
“Who is this Kevin? This journalist?” I ask him angrily. He approaches me, and grabs my hands.
“I don’t know, babe. If I knew, I’d find him and smash his face in for harassing you.”
“Well, I guess he knows you pretty well. Are you hiding something from me again? Jake, you promised there would no longer be any secrets between us. Look what happened the last time.” My voice is harsh, getting louder with every word I say.
“I’m not hiding anything. I swear to you. I promise I’ll find out who he is, even if it kills me. He’ll pay for this.”
I nod. He seems to be telling the truth, and I hope—for both our sakes—that he is.
We are both quiet during the car ride; the music from the speakers is playing in the background. I’m anxious about the lunch and about Kevin. My leg is nervously jumping up and down, and I can’t stop biting my lip.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes,” is all I respond.
“I promise I’ll get to the bottom of things. I promise you that.” I nod, and Jake searches for my hand and plants a kiss on my palm. “I’m not hiding anything from you, babe.” We stop at a driveway in front of a two-story house. It’s old, but beautifully preserved. In front of it, beds of flowers are nicely arranged, and the lawn is cut. In the middle of the lawn on the side of the house, is a giant tree with a tree house in it.
“Sarah and I used to play here when we were little,” Jake says when he notices what I’m looking at. I nod, smiling. “My dad built it when I was six.” Jake drives to the front door, and we get out of the car. He puts his hand in mine, laces our fingers together, and gives me a comforting kiss. “You have nothing to worry about.” He tries to calm me. Just as he is about to ring the bell, I stop him.
“Wait!”
Jake looks at me, and fixes the strand of my hair that escaped the ponytail behind my ear.
“How am I going to talk to your dad? I don’t know how to sign.”
Jake smiles. “Don’t worry. I’ll help you with that.” I nod, and Jake rings the bell. It seems like an eternity before the door opens wide. A young girl with a wide grin on her face is standing in front of us. She crashes into Jake, and throws herself into his arms.
“Jake, I’ve missed you so, so much.” They are grinning at each other.
“Sarah, I’d like you to meet Ella. Ella, this is my sister, Sarah.” I extend my hand so we can shake hands, but she ignores it, and gives me a tight hug instead.
“We finally meet! Jake has told me so much about you!” I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding, and give her a sincere smile.
“I’ve heard wonderful things about you, too,” I tell her as she invites us in. The inside of the house seems warm and tastefully decorated. The furniture is old, but charming and in a good condition.
“Mom, Jake’s here!” Sarah yells toward the direction of, what I assume is, the kitchen. I snuggle closer to Jake; I’m antsy with anticipation and dread. I don’t know what to expect. His parents might throw me out of the house, or they might be pleasant enough for Jake’s sake, and not say anything in front of him.
“Relax,” Jake whispers in my ear, and I raise my gaze to his and nod. If I have Jake by my side, everything will be just fine. I keep repeating that in my head. Jake’s father, Jeff, comes out of the kitchen. As soon as he sees Jake, he quickens his pace and pulls his son in for a hug. They are wearing wide grins on their faces, as I watch them talk in sign language with fascination. Jake told me his father was deaf, but he didn’t say he knows sign language. I don’t know what I was thinking; how else are they going to communicate? In this moment, I feel even more respect for Jake, if possible. I admiringly observe their hand and face gestures, and suddenly, I see both their faces get serious, and they turn to me. I smile uncertainly as Jeff extends his hand toward me. I reach over hesitantly, and put my hand in his. He surprises me by lifting my hand to his mouth, and kissing my knuckles. Now I see where Jake got his charm from. Jeff signs something with his hands, so I turn to Jake so he could translate.
“He says he’s honored to meet you. He would also like to apologize for the incident in the hospital. His back was turned to us, and he didn’t see what we were even talking about.” I thank him, and nod. Jeff takes us to the kitchen where the pot roast in the oven smells de
liciously. Jake’s mother is standing with her back to us, preparing the salad.
“Mom,” Jake speaks. She turns to us, and her eyes sparkle with joy when she sees Jake. She takes a dishcloth, wipes her hands, and pulls Jake into a tight hug. Then her eyes fall on me. Her smile falters, and she lets go of Jake. I take a deep breath and gather all the courage I have to walk over to her, and give her my hand. She stares at it for a few seconds, and then shakes it. But her hand is limp, her eyes serious, and her lips in a straight line. Without saying anything, she turns around and resumes her work. I don’t understand why she’s giving me the cold shoulder; I haven’t done anything to deserve this. And her behavior pisses me off. How can you judge someone without even knowing him or her? Jake notices my inner battle, so his hand finds mine. He pulls me to him, hugs me, and whispers in my ear:
“You’re awesome. Don’t beat yourself about it. She’s going to come around.” I nod; after all, there is nothing else I can do at this point. When we gather around the dining table, I can still feel the thick tension in the air, and everybody but Jake and Sarah seems to be aware of it. Jake jokes with Sarah, teases her, and they share their childhood stories with me. I can’t help but to smile at the shenanigans they got into as kids. Jake’s hand is resting on my knee the whole time.
“Ella, do you have any brothers or sisters?” Sarah asks when she and Jake stop laughing about some silly thing they did when they were little. I shake my head.
“No, I’m an only child,” I say, and I hear Jake’s mom snort from the other side of the table. Jake gives her a sharp look, but she only turns away from him. Jeff is asking me questions with interest, and Jake translates them to me out loud.
“Do you have a job?” Mary, Jake’s mom, suddenly asks. I choke on a piece of meat I just put in my mouth. Does she think I’m living at Jake’s expense?
“I’m a masseuse,” I try to say as kindly and patiently as possible, but my patience is slowly wearing thin.
“That’s no job,” she spits out. “It’s nothing more than a hobby. If you plan on staying with Jake, you need a real job. Don’t think Jake’s going to support you. Do you have any children?”
“Mom, that’s enough!” Jake slaps his hand on the table.
“What? I’m just making conversation,” she responds innocently.
“I mean it, Mom. You went too far.”
“Fine!” she stands up, offended. She wipes her mouth into a napkin, and carries the dirty plates in the kitchen. Sarah runs after her.
“I’m sorry, I don’t know what has gotten into her,” Jake starts apologizing, and Jeff gives me a sympathetic smile. How stupid of me to think that she’s going to be nicer to me this time. It seems this day will never come. When Sarah and Mary reappear, they each put a tray of baked goods on the table: apple strudel on one and homemade cookies, covered in chocolate, on the other. I could cut the tension in the air with a knife. The desert smells delicious, but all I want is to go home. But I don’t let Jake see my true emotions, I know how rarely he can be with his family, and every moment spent with his loved ones is precious to him. I occupy my time talking to Sarah and Jeff, but I can sense Mary’s eyes throwing daggers at me, so I struggle with appearing at ease. Only when she goes into the kitchen again, do I relax a little.
After two excruciatingly long hours spent with his family, I can finally let out a breath I was holding as we climb into the car and drive off.
“Your mom hates me,” I tell him disappointingly.
“Don’t worry. She’ll soften up with time. She’s not a bad person, she’s just really overprotective of me.”
“I’m nothing like Liz! I would never cheat on you, Jake.”
“I know that, and she’ll realize that eventually. We just have to give her time to get used to you in my life.” Jake kisses my palm. Ugh, could this day get any worse?
Jake
The drive home is tense, but I’m glad Ella finally met my whole family. They mean the world to me, just like her, and I want them to get along. I know my mom’s behavior was inexcusable, but on the other hand, I understand her. She is afraid the situation with Liz will happen all over again. But she doesn’t know Ella like I do. She is the complete opposite of Liz.
I’m home alone now; Ella is having coffee with Sophie. I use this time to dig up as much as I can about this Kevin guy. Who the hell is he, and what does he want from Ella, from us?
“Hey, James,” I greet the bodyguard when he answers on the third ring.
“Mister Burns? Miss Vaughn is all right. She has just entered her friend’s house. You have nothing to worry about.”
“Good. But that’s not the reason I called. Did you take a good look at Kevin the other day when he threatened Ella? Can you describe him?”
“He had no distinguishing features. The same height as you, Sir: light hair, green eyes, full face. Nothing special.”
“Would you recognize him if you saw him again?”
“Most definitely.”
“Great. If you see him again, take a picture. I want to know what he looks like. He claims to know me, but I have no clue about his identity. I’m sure he was the one who sent photos to Ella. He’s just a jealous maniac trying to frighten us, nothing more. But I don’t want him anywhere near Ella.”
“Yes, Mister Burns.”
“Thank you, James,” I end the call, then head to the bedroom to start to pack for the upcoming race, but before that, I have a photo-shoot for my sponsors.
When I arrive at the location, I change into the leathers they prepared for me. The motorcycle is already waiting on the set. It’s not mine, but it’s covered with sponsor stickers. My pictures will be featured in one of the more prominent motorcycle magazines, along with an article on motorcycling and an interview with yours truly. As soon as I get to the bike, a girl my age approaches me, also dressed in leathers. She extends a hand in greeting, and gives me a wide grin.
“Hey, Jake, it’s an honor. I’m looking forward to shooting with you today. My name is Monique, Monique Bisset, but everyone calls me Nikki,” she says, with a slight French accent.
I raise my eyebrows at her, shocked in silence. What did she mean by shooting together? I thought it was only going to be me. “Hi,” I shake her hand, slightly uncomfortable, and the photographer joins us on set.
“I see you two have already met. We thought we’d shake things up, so we brought in Nikki.” I nod; I just want to get this over with quickly. “Let’s begin.” The photographer points to the motorcycle, and tells me to sit on it. I do as he says. I put my hands on handlebars with Monique standing beside me, a helmet under her arm. The photographer takes a few test pictures. “Okay. Jake, move forward a little so Nikki can join you on the bike.” As soon as she is on the motorcycle, Monique wraps her hands around my middle, and pushes her breasts into my back. I turn my head back, and she gives me one of her silly grins. “Yes, like that, Nikki. Jake, don’t be so serious. Smile!” I put a smile on my lips, but it’s as real as my excitement over the photo-shoot. I hate this part of my fame. Racing is one thing, posing is the complete opposite. But I can’t escape it if I want to keep my sponsors happy. They are an important part of my career, so I have to put on a fake smile, and continue posing without complaints. We do a few more shots on the bike; on some, I’m posing alone, and on others, Monique is glued to my side, a little overenthusiastic. She definitely doesn’t need to touch me as much. When we finally get a five-minute break, I walk to the table stacked with bottles of water, pick up one, and take a couple of big gulps.
“You are so different in person,” Monique says as she approaches me. I lift an eyebrow, interested to know what she means by that.
“Different how? What exactly did you expect?”
“I don’t know. Considering your reputation, I thought you were going to act differently. That you wouldn’t be able to take your hands off me. I thought you wouldn’t be able to resist my charms.”
I start to cough, sputtering water everywhe
re. “Don’t believe everything you hear,” I assure her.
She steps closer to me, until her breasts are inches away from my chest. She leans into me, and whispers in my ear, “Not that I would mind you all over me. I love motorcycles, but I prefer riders.” She winks, her finger grazing my cheek.
“Are you kidding me?” The groupies have finally backed off a little ever since I started dating Ella. I don’t get harassed as often anymore, but there are still some women who don’t know or simply don’t care that I’m in a relationship. “I have a girlfriend,” I add.
“Ah, but she doesn’t have to know, no? I won’t tell her if you won’t,” Monique licks her lips seductively. Shaking my head, I walk away. Saying anything else to a girl like her would just be a waste of my words.
Next up is photographing beside a life-size cutout of myself with all my sponsors listed on it. I’m asked to autograph it, and pictures are taken again. When the shoot finally wraps up, I dress back into my clothes, and head to my car, exhausted. But I should have known it wouldn’t be so easy to make a quiet escape. Leaning on the hood of my car is Monique, smiling coyly at me. She is wearing the tightest possible clothes, emphasizing her slim figure. She’s a looker— I’m not blind—but I’m not interested in the least. She has nothing on Ella.
“I have to go,” I tell her, as I unlock the door and throw my bag inside. Finally, she pushes off the car, but she doesn’t go away, she leans into me. Her face is almost touching mine, and she whispers:
“The offer is still on the table, if you wish to take me up on it.” She kisses my cheek, and I feel her hand reach into my jean pocket. As soon as she walks away, I drive off, annoyed at her bluntness.
Ella
Sophie and I meet at the hair salon. She made an appointment for her wedding trial hair, and I decided to cut the ends of my hair off since it’s been a while from my last visit to the hairdresser. When we enter, they are already waiting for us, so we sit down in the chairs. I get my hair washed first, while a stylist starts doing magic to Sophie’s hair.