Dreams Do Come True (13 page)

Nico placed the room service menu down and called to place his order. He shook his head as he thought of this conversation with Dennis. He knew he meant well, but the line he continues to cross may backfire on him one day. He didn’t like being so out of sorts with him. He needed to be able to live his own life. Martin always encouraged having a life outside of Divine Attraction. He never really took that to heart until now. His life had always been about music until now. The way Shontell had affected his life in a matter of days was still amazing to him. Nico decided to jump in the shower while he waited for room service to bring his dinner. The knock on his door came just as his cell phone rang. He answered his phone and headed to the door. 

“Hey, baby, give me two seconds. Room service is knocking.” He set the phone down and opened the door. He waited until the server was finished setting up his food and table for him. He gave him a tip and closed the door. He picked up the phone. “So how was the rest of your bath and dinner?” he asked her.

“It was what I needed. I had a lot of tension because of an uninvited guest before you called earlier. I was still trying to wrap my head around it.”

“Really? Is everything okay?” he asked. Dennis’ words came into his mind about knowing about her past.

“Yes, and I promise to tell you about it when we see each other. I don’t want to spend our evening talking about that.”  She heard him clanging the dishes.

“So what did you get to eat?” she asked, changing the subject. She wrapped her towel around her still-damp body and grabbed her oils.

“A turkey burger, organic fries, and hot tea.” He stirred his tea, blowing on it and taking a sip.

“Would you like to call me back after you eat?” She set the phone down and put it on speaker.

“Nope. I promise not to smack. I miss hearing your voice. I don’t want to have to wait until I finish my food for us to talk. I’m sorry if it sounds selfish.” He bit into his burger, licking his lips to savor the dripping juice.

She laughed and went on to tell him about the ride home. She told him about Sandy’s new friend, Eric. He was going to be on the cruise as well to work security detail. 

“See, now that wasn’t so bad was it?”

“I guess not. I couldn’t tell you were eating at all.” She rubbed the oil into her arms, balancing her phone.

“So why are you in for the night? What do you normally do when you hit a city?” she inquired. Shontell switched the phone to speaker, as she went over to her lingerie drawer and pulled out a pair of panties and a night tee.

“It all depends. John, Dennis, and I usually hit a casino or club. David will hang out sometimes if Felecia doesn’t join us on the road. Tonight I declined. Remember, I didn’t get much sleep last night,” he laughed. Shontell smacked her lips.

“Ha, ha, that wasn’t my fault. That was all on you, Chocolate.” She settled back onto the bed.

“Hmmm, is that a new pet name already?” Nico wiped his hands on the last of his napkins. He scooted back in the chair.

“Only if you are going to answer to it,” Shontell told him. Nico laughed heartily at her comment. 

“Well, I have one condition.” He got up, kicked his shoes off, and got into bed. His body sank into the mattress. He loved these heavenly mattresses.

“Okay. So what’s that?”

“Only if you video chat with me. I want to see that smile.”

“Okay, you got it,” she told him. Nico sat back on the pillows and propped the phone up as he waited for her face to appear. He wiped his mouth again, to ensure there was no food residue. A second later, she was smiling at him.

Shontell was glad that she had decided on a night shirt. She looked down quickly when he came onto the screen. She missed him as she touched the screen as if it was his face. She could not believe that she and Nico video chatted until almost 3 a.m. Neither of them could keep their eyes open. She woke up that morning still tired but strangely excited. This was one time she was definitely glad she was her own boss. Her day didn’t start until later. She had errands to run. Their conversations felt as though they had known each other forever. The only thing she hadn’t talked to him about was Jesse…well not formally. She knew that she would have to eventually discuss her past. He knew that she had been hurt by her last boyfriend, but not that it was Jesse she was referring to. Shontell threw on a pair of jeans and Nico’s shirt. She took a quick selfie and sent it to him. Nico made her feel that love was an option again. She had missed that feeling. 

Shontell walked into her kitchen. She put water in her plants and the flowers that Nico had given her. The car service was right on time to pick up her car for its three-month maintenance service. She decided to look over the buyout contract her lawyer had drawn up for her. She had not decided exactly when she was going to do it. She knew that it was needed. Shontell sat down while her coffee was brewing. She was getting up to grab cream out the fridge when she heard a key in the front door. She hoped it wasn’t Jesse.
Now where in the heck did that come from
, she thought. She knew she had changed her locks. She didn’t know why she thought it was him. It must be one of her parents.  She finished pouring the cream in her coffee. The door opened, and she watched Ebony walk in. She forgot she was supposed to be dropping off files and two new contracts. She almost got up to help her, but she stopped when she thought about their last face to face. She could handle it. Sitting back down, she put peanut butter on her bagel.

“Hey, Ebony,” she greeted in a flat tone. She bit into her food. Ebony nearly dropped the box she was holding. Now why was she so caught off guard, she wondered?

“Hey, Shon. I didn’t know you were here. I didn’t see your car out front.”

“Oh. Well, I sent it over to get serviced. Thanks for bringing over the files.” She got up and walked over to where she set the boxes down and started reaching over into one of them. They had a client that they were preparing a presentation for right before she left for the cruise. 

Ebony set the box down, silently cursing to herself. How in the heck was she going to be able to look for the safe like Jesse had asked her to if Shontell was home? She looked at Shontell. She looked different for some reason. Her cell phone started to buzz, interrupting her inspection. She was trying not to show her attitude as she looked at the screen. She saw that it was a text from Jesse, asking if she’d located the safe. She quickly put the phone back in her pocket and walked over to where Shontell had made coffee.

“Mind if I have a cup of coffee?” she asked.

“Sure, help yourself.” Shontell handed her the spare cup she kept on the counter.

“I wanted to apologize about my behavior Sunday. I shouldn’t have reacted that way, especially when I was in the wrong.” Ebony wasn’t making eye contact, but she was sure Shontell was looking at her. Ebony leaned over the counter, taking a sip of the hot liquid. She felt the phone go off again. She didn’t want to be here. She respected Shontell, but she had never liked her. She was doing all of this, including faking her desire on this business, because Jesse wanted her to. She loved Jesse, so she would do what he needed.  “Shontell, you look different,” she finally said.

“Do I?” She gave her a blank look.

“Yes. Did you do something exciting over the weekend?” She saw the guilty look on Shontell’s face.

“I guess you could say I did. But we just saw one another a couple of days ago.”

“Right. I know. I guess I didn’t see it then. I see it now. Are you ready to go over this stuff?” she asked her. Ebony tried to concentrate as they spent the next forty-five minutes going over the contacts and notes for the presentation. Shontell had a knack for this business. Her ideas flowed easily. She was impressed. There was no sound in the house; therefore, every time her phone buzzed it could be heard. She never looked at her phone after the first time. What was the point? She didn’t have anything good to tell him. Her phone went off three additional times, and Shontell stopped in mid-sentence and looked at her partner. 

“Someone sure is trying to get hold of you. Why aren’t you answering?”

“Yeah. It’s my brother. I am sure he wants to borrow money. I will call him when we are done.” She quickly lied, hoping her voice wasn’t noticeably shaking. She instantly felt nervous, and her hands started to sweat. She wiped her hands on her jeans. If Shontell knew half the things she had lied to her about, their working relationship would be done, and she would deserve it. They were finishing up, and Shontell’s phone rang. She excused herself to go get it out of her office. Unlike her, she made sure that they didn’t have any distractions. 

She heard her answer the phone, and Shontell’s tone changed immediately.

“Jesse, what do you want?” Ebony’s eyes got big when she heard Shontell say Jesse’s name.

What the hell?
she thought. She strained her ear to listen in on the conversation. Shontell walked out of the room. Ebony was trying to put her cup down and missed the table. The cup shattered once it hit the floor, splattering coffee everywhere. Ebony tried to hold back her emotions as she quickly got up to get paper towels to clean up her mess. She didn’t want Shontell to see how her call had affected her. When she looked up, Shontell was looking at her strangely. She hadn’t even heard her come back into the room. 

“Are you okay?” Shontell asked her, as she bent down to pick up the broken pieces. 

“I…I need to go. I need to get a little air. I am so sorry about the cup.” Ebony grabbed her purse and quickly headed out of the door. 

***

She sat in her car as she gripped the wheel. She went to grab her phone to find out why Jesse was calling Shontell. When did this start, she wondered. The jarring ring of her phone startled her. She answered the call.

“Hey, why aren’t you replying to my texts?” Jesse shouted into the phone. Ebony took the phone from her ear because the volume was painful. She got on the defensive and put the phone back to her ear.

“Here’s a better question for you…what the hell are you doing calling Shontell?” she retorted. Jesse didn’t say anything, but she definitely heard him curse as she suspected he was probably trying to come up with a good ass lie for himself. She spoke before he even tried. She couldn’t believe this. She was here risking everything…and for what?

“Yeah, just like I thought. You told me that you were over her. Guess I am the fool.”

“Ebony, don’t say that…I…” before he could finish, she hit the end button over and over again. She wished it was the 90’s and she could slam the receiver down hard on his ass. Ebony wiped away the tears she didn’t even know she had cried. She looked up and noticed Shontell was watching her from the window. She smiled weakly and hoped she hadn’t been watching her that long. She waved and backed out of the driveway. She almost hit another car because she wasn’t paying attention. The driver blew his horn and yelled expletives at her. She put her hand up to apologize.

“Sorry, sorry…my bad,” she said. It wasn’t even loud enough for him to hear. She started backing out again, cautiously looking both ways before continuing. She continued driving down the street, thinking about why men always hurt her. Was she that unworthy of love?  Her mother had told her she wasn’t worthy.  Coming from her own mother, she believed it. Her mother never showed her and her brother love. It was all business for her. She never said she loved them or hugged them. She didn’t have a good kind of relationship with her mom, like Shontell had with hers. She wished she did. She needed someone to guide her about men and all their ways. Wiping away the tears, she sat at the red light and looked at her reflection in the rearview mirror. When did she stop seeing herself? Because the woman she was looking at didn’t look anything like her. She hated her mother for her lack of affection. It had to be the reason why she felt she needed it so bad.

Jesse threw his phone on the bed and began pacing. He couldn’t believe Ebony had hung up on him like that. He cursed aloud. He couldn’t risk her being mad at him. He needed her. He was slipping again. It was like when he got caught cheating. That night changed him. He couldn’t believe he had been so careless, not to mention that he had underestimated Shontell’s love for him. He never thought she would come all the way to California to fix things. He didn’t remember that she had a set of house keys. He hit his forehead with his hand.  Jesse didn’t want those nightmares to start again.

Jesse knew his heart still belonged to Shontell. It didn’t matter that he had not been faithful to her most of their relationship; she didn’t know that. She could only prove that one time. He used the fact that she didn’t like public appearances to his advantage. His conscience ate at him sometimes. He knew what he was doing was low down. When he hooked up with Ebony, it was by pure accident. They met at one of the clubs in Detroit where he was doing an event. That’s why his plan had worked so perfectly. If it ever came out, he would lose her for good, and he couldn’t take that chance. He knew he could convince her to give them another chance. He wished he could get her on his album. That would really jump-start his career. That’s why he sent Ebony over there—the songs. He needed those songs. His mind wandered back to when he and Shontell were engaged. They were hosting a karaoke fundraiser, and they did a song together. He had heard she could sing, but he didn’t know she could
SANG
. They sang
If This World Were Mine,
and they wowed the crowd.

He convinced her to write songs for him. A few months later, he took her to the studio one night. He didn’t tell her that he wanted her to record the songs. When she finally learned of his true intent, she was furious with him. Shontell didn’t want the spotlight. No matter how many times she told him this, he thought he could convince her. He was wrong. She took the songs and left the studio. That was the last time he saw the music and songs, and he knew that his career needed a major resurrection. He had told his manager he had new material. They were expecting something different from him, and those songs were it.

Ebony was a means to an end. He strung her along this long because he knew she would become useful one day.

He picked up his phone and started to call her back, but he was interrupted by the knock on the door. He opened it to a tearful and angry Ebony.