A deafening silence reverberated throughout the locker room.
“Yes, coach,” we both said in unison.
I threw my gym bag over my shoulder and headed toward the exit. Flynn was right on my tail and until he caught up to me. He latched onto my arm, spinning me around to face him.
“Get your hand off me.” My low throaty growl startled him.
“Is it true what they’re saying?” Flynn gave me a guarded look. His blue eyes laser pinned me with their intensity.
“Is what true?”
“Did you propose to Jesse?”
I could see the pain in his eyes. Damn my mother and her goddamned viciousness. Even though Flynn and I were no longer friends, it had never been my intention to inflict more pain on him than necessary.
“I admit I bought a ring, but I never proposed,” I said.
“Why not?”
“Why is it so important to you?”
“Because I never stopped loving her.”
His confession stirred something inside of me. I could only imagine how much it must’ve cost him to admit it. Flynn loved to pose as a womanizing asshole to mask the vulnerable guy within. I knew he was full of shit.
“For what it’s worth, she never loved me, Flynn. She loved you the entire time. She never got over you cheating on her with that girl. And before you say anything, I knew the entire story was false. I know you never cheated. You got a raw deal.” I sighed and shook my head, brushing a stray lock from my face. “Mind you, you two seemed pretty cozy the other night. If I were you, I’d do right by her. Jesse’s not a bad person. She’s been manipulated and can’t hold her liquor very well.” Manipulated by my own flesh and blood.
My last statement transformed Flynn’s face. He smiled and said, “You’re right about that, man.”
He held out his hand and I shook it. After I left Flynn, I headed up to Jed’s office. I walked toward the reception area. Mollie looked up from her screen with black framed glasses perched on her nose.
“Hi Mollie,”
“Hey Ki, he’s expecting you.” She gave me a wan smile.
“Anything I should know before I enter the lion’s den?” My jovial tone belied the nervousness inside of me.
“I think you should prepare yourself.”
“For what?”
“Your mother is here.”
“Shit.”
“My sentiments exactly.” Mollie shook her head.
An uneasy feeling settled in my gut. I opened the door. My mother was sitting on Jed’s couch, laughing at something the old man had said. When I entered, they both looked up.
“Hello son.”
Chapter 6
Vivienne
Jesse’s phone went straight to voice mail. Damn her. She’d caused me enough trouble for one lifetime. Now that she had spilled her drunken guts to the press, Jesse had become a liability rather than an ally. Luckily for me, I had a little collateral in a safety deposit box to hang over her head. Some would call it blackmail. I called it insurance.
This week had been full of unpleasant surprises. Perhaps the one that gnawed at me most was how upset Ki was for showing up at his home unannounced. The anger in his eyes when he accused me of meddling in his relationship with the Simmons girl gave me hives. Little did he know I had good cause. He had no idea what it was like to be a parent with a secret past. I admit I used to land the occasional sugar daddy to make ends meet, much to my son’s disapproval. Ki never liked the men in my life, including his worthless father who took off on us when I was nine months pregnant. At that point, my view of the world changed drastically toward men in general. I would use my assets to get what I wanted. If men could take what they wanted from me why shouldn’t I do the same to them? From that moment on, I never wanted for anything and neither did my son, though he would never know it including the fact his entire college tuition was paid for through a contribution from one of my many admirers. I acted like a priest, a therapist, a lawyer. I kept their secrets for a price. My formula never failed until Jesse. But then again, she wasn’t a man, just a stupid girl who couldn’t hold her tongue after a few drinks.
I was browsing the morning paper in my hotel suite when I ran across an article on Jed Simmons and the Otters Organization. I sipped my latte in thought. Red’s father wasn’t exactly my type, physically speaking. However, he was in the perfect position both financially and emotionally to avoid the ill-fated relationship between Red and my son. Ki once told me Jed felt the loss of his wife every time, he looked at the girl. And given that Jed was Ki’s boss, he would be the key to inserting myself back into Ki’s life and kicking Red out. It was the only way to maintain my current lifestyle. I’d lived off enough sugar daddies in my time. I deserved a bit of security. I fully expected my son would have cut me off completely by now but so far, my luck held out. Despite his anger toward me, Ki was loyal to a fault. I knew once I apprised Jed Simmons of the circumstances surrounding his daughter and my son, he would ensure they never ended up together. A simple matter of enforcing Ki’s non-fraternization clause in his contract should tie up that loose end nice and neat.
My cell buzzed. I picked up the phone. Jesse Connery. I made a mental note to change that contact info before Ki could lay his eyes on it. He would be furious.
“It’s about time,” I snapped.
“What do you want, Viv?”
I could hear the fear emanate from Jesse’s voice.
“What do you think I want? You were supposed to be engaged to my son by now. But look at the mess you caused. Our names are media fodder thanks to you. Ki and I are no longer on speaking terms.”
“I told you before, I’m still in love with Flynn and always have been. Ki could see through my façade. He didn’t buy it, Viv. Your son loves Zoe. You better start accepting that fact. I lost my best friend all because of you and your bloody schemes. I was foolish to ever get involved with you to begin with.”
“My, my… how quickly your attitude changed. You didn’t seem to mind my help when I stopped that sex tape of yours from hitting the media. Funny how ungrateful you’ve become, Jesse. I saved your ass. Now it’s time to pay the piper.” Little did the bitch know I still had the video in my safety deposit box for safekeeping.
“I don’t know how many times I have to say thank you for doing that. What do you have against Ki and Zoe anyway?”
“That’s none of your damned business.”
“What do you want from me, Viv?”
“You know exactly what I want, Jesse. Or else.”
“I’m tired of your threats. I told Flynn everything and that includes your role in Ki and Zoe’s breakup. I won’t be your pawn any longer so take your best shot. I also told my father about my indiscretion. Don’t forget your family isn’t the only one with connections. I’m done. I advise you to own up to your part and make things right or risk losing your son forever. For the record, I know a secret about you too. I have a birth certificate of a daughter adopted by Charles and Willa Charleston. Ring a bell, Viv? I thought not. So, unless you want your business to become public, stop calling me. How pathetic. You aren’t even a blood relation.”
Jesse hung up on me. I stared at my cell in shock.
Ki
I was at a loss for words. The moment my eyes landed on my mother and Jed laughing over drinks, the hair on the back of my neck raised. The short and devastating conversation ran through my mind repeatedly. What part of ‘my mother is a menace’ didn’t Jed Simmons get? She had ruined my relationship with his only daughter and now the entire thing was being rehashed for the whole country to witness. It was one big shitstorm. I had no way to shield Zoe from its aftermath no matter how much I wanted to. I couldn’t fathom my mother’s motives. Nothing made sense anymore. Vivienne wasn’t known for making the best choices her life, but I always thought she would factor in how things affected me. Apparently, I was mistaken.
When Jed ushered me into his office and offered me a whiskey, I nodded and downed the entire c
ontents of the crystal tumbler.
“Have a seat, Ki.” Jed gestured to the sofa my mother sat on. I sat on the opposite end. Vivienne raised her brow. I looked straight at Jed and avoided Vivienne altogether.
“You okay, Ki?” Jed inquired.
I didn’t trust how polite and engaging he was being toward me. Normally, he got straight to the point.
I cleared my throat before responding. “Yep.”
“Thanks for stopping by. Your mother and I were having a conversation about you, weren’t we, Viv?”
I noticed the wink Jed gave her. She smiled in turn. What the hell was going on here? Had my mother singlehandedly seduced Jed Simmons? The thought made me nauseous.
“I didn’t know you two were friendly. Especially after everything that went down between Zoe and me.”
“This conversation has nothing to do with that,” Jed snapped.
“See what I mean, Jed?” Vivienne spoke up.
I threw her a glare.
“If I were you, Jed, I’d be very wary of Vivienne. She has a habit of extracting information and using it against the current flavor the month in exchange for money. Isn’t that true, mother?” I sneered.
“Enough,” Jed barked.
“Thank you.” My mother patted her styled hair for effect. The burgundy Chanel suit and matching pumps she wore gave her a look of sophistication that had taken years to cultivate. Underneath was still the same girl from a small Midwest town no one had ever heard of. Vivienne never mentioned her past. I always assumed whatever it was, she tried to avoid it because it forced her into the greedy, manipulative person she was today.
Jed’s gaze slid over to Vivienne, whose cheeks turned a rare shade of pink. The mood between them was one step away from landing them in the bedroom. I’d never known my mother to blush over a man. She was an alpha female—always in charge. The dynamics between the two of them boggled my mind. Jed ran hot and cold most days but with Vivienne he seemed almost charming.
“Will someone please tell me what is going on here?” I said.
My frustration was rising by the minute. I should be on my way back to Zoe by now, as I’d promised her.
“Your mother brought something important to my attention. It concerns our familial connection.”
Jed’s cryptic reply made no sense. What family connection? Did this have something to do with my mother’s past?
“Just spit it out, Jed. What connection?” I snapped.
“Let me explain.” Jed’s voice softened, and his eyes misted. “Vivienne confessed why she intervened with your wedding to Zoe. This may be hard to hear but it’s all the truth, Ki.”
My heartbeat began to thump erratically in my chest and a small bead of sweat formed on the back of my neck. My instincts told me whatever was coming wasn’t good. I took a couple of deep breaths to prepare me for whatever awful truth Jed was about to deliver.
“Ki, I’m sorry spring this on you like this but Vivienne is…well…Zoe’s aunt. That’s why she had to stop the marriage. You and Zoe are related. First cousins, actually.”
My brain short-circuited. Cousins? What the fuck? I stared at them—my expression blank before it darkened.
“Is this some kind of cruel joke?!”
“Ki, I—” Vivienne began.
“No!” I interjected, bunching my hands into fists. “I’m sick of your lies! Stop trying to get between me and Zoe!”
“Ki,” Jed’s voice broke through my anger. He flashed me a concerned look. “It’s true. I had a private investigator confirm Viv’s claim.”
“What?!” I staggered a step back before reality hit me and I sank back into the sofa, defeated. Cousins. First cousins. Was I even allowed to marry her still? I knew I wanted to but… Jesus, the press would crucify us if this ever got out. It was bad enough they were digging for dirt wherever they could, this would be the final nail in the coffin.
“I don’t know what to say. Actually, I do.” I glared at my mother who dabbed her eyes with a tissue like she was the victim in this sick, twisted chapter of my life. “Why didn’t you ever mention this to me?” My voice filled with venom, hurt, and betrayal. Like she hadn’t already fucked up my life. Now she wanted to snuff it out completely and kill my love for Zoe because she willed it? It would never happen. I loved Zoe and nothing else mattered—cousin or no.
“I wanted to tell you so many times, Ki, but I never had the courage,” Viv sobbed quietly.
I wasn’t buying the act. “Save me your crocodile tears, you aren’t fooling anyone with your act, Vivienne.”
I couldn’t bring myself to call her mother, given the manipulating liar that she was.
“Ki, you are being too harsh,” Jed said quietly.
“Since when do you care about how this affects anyone but yourself? Zoe and I just now got some of the pieces of our life back and you want to rip it apart again? Well fuck you both,” I shouted at them.
“Ki,” my mother gasped.
“No, Viv, he has every right. I know I’ve treated Zoe badly. There is no excuse. Something died in me when Charla passed away. It’s been painful to look at Zoe ever since. I’ve been a poor excuse of a father.”
“Try asshole. I don’t know how many times Zoe told me about how you treated her, breaking her heart over and over. I’ve been wanting to take a swing at you and knock some goddamn sense back into you, Jed, but I restrained myself out of respect for Zoe. But you know what? You don’t deserve a daughter like Zoe. And I know, Vivienne, you don’t deserve me either. As far as I am concerned, I am done with you both for good.”
I picked up the crystal goblet and threw it past Jed’s head. He didn’t flinch as the glass shattered against the wall, sending shards everywhere. The vein in my temple throbbed mercilessly. I clenched my fists, aching to punch the passive look off Jed’s face. I remembered the exercise to control my temper. I took a deep breath and shifted focus to something I loved. Zoe was the first thing that came to mind. As my anger dissipated, I felt only dread and the familiar ache of my heart seizing in my chest. How was I going to tell Zoe? Shock and disbelief permeated my body and mind.
“I don’t blame you, Ki,” Jed sighed and slumped into his chair with a defeated look on his face.
“You have done nothing short of destroying two lives with your indifference and lies. For what? So, you could live with yourselves because you couldn’t deal with your own grief or past? You’re both pathetic as far as I am concerned.”
I pinned them each with a look of revulsion and walked out. When I got to my SUV, I got in and sat behind the wheel for the longest time rehashing everything that had just taken place. One minute I had a future with the love of my life and the next I found out she was my cousin. My goddamned cousin! Fuck, if it wasn’t so tragic, I would laugh at the absurdity of it all.
A flash went off. I blinked, temporarily blinded. A fucking reporter had snuck into the underground parking. I held up my hand so any other shot the asshole got would be for shit. I switched on the ignition and gunned the engine, putting it in reverse. My tires squealed on the pavement as the paparazzo jumped out of my way. I flipped him the bird as I heard unintelligible shouts in my wake.
I pulled onto Almaden Expressway and headed toward the freeway. I was driving with no destination in mind. I needed to think and wrap my head around the fact I needed to tell Zoe. But how? Another fear crept into my mind. What if the fucking media got wind of this story? What then? One doom scenario after the other plagued my mind. I continued to drive. Before I knew it, I found myself driving up Highway 101 toward San Francisco. I took the exit near San Mateo toward a little coffee shop down on Third Street. It was a place I could think and blend into the background where no one bothered me.
As I walked inside the small coffee shop, the bell chimed. A familiar face looked up.
“Hey Ki, long time no I see. I heard you were back in town.”
Her dark brown eyes flashed me a sympathetic glance.
“Hey Reva,” I said a
s I slid into my usual corner booth. The run-down dive hadn’t changed a bit in the last three years.
“Coffee?”
I nodded. Reva was quick to pour me a cup. The fragrant aroma assailed my senses. I needed a caffeine fix to deal with the shitshow that was destroying my life.
“Thanks.” I took a sip and frowned as the drink tasted more bitter than I cared for. Even this simple pleasure seemed tainted.
“Rough night?” Reva asked as she remained beside my booth.
I glanced up. It had been three years since I last saw her. She’d dyed her hair almost black, making the lines of her face age beyond her years. The worn, pink uniform with its cheap name badge hung loosely around her thin frame. Despite the tawdry coffee shop and worn out waitress standing in front of me, I felt the first sense of peace since I had left Jed and my mother hours before.
“I’ve been better, Reva.” I let out an audible sigh.
“They’re putting you and your girlfriend through the ringer, Sly.” Her glossed lips pursed in disgust.
“Have a seat. It’s just us.”
“Thanks, I’ve been on my feet since the start of my shift.” Reva slipped into seat across from me.
I wanted to change the subject because I knew once I went back out into the world I would have to deal with the fallout of the media and paparazzi all over again. Here, I had a temporary reprieve from the insanity that awaited me.
“What’s new?” I asked as I took another sip of my java.
“Nothing much. As you can see, I’m still working in this Taj Mahal.” Reva snorted.
“Actually, it’s nice to come back here and find nothing has changed.”
“Then you’ve come to the right place,” she said with a heavy sigh.
Life had worn her down and it showed. I could relate in some ways. I really had nothing to complain about other than the fact the woman of my dreams turned out to be my cousin. What the hell did I do in past life to deserve this shit?
On Ice, A Hockey Romance Page 6