Inner Circle (4 page)

Eve also had a strict no-attractive-female-staff-allowed policy that she wasn’t about to break. And for the female staff that was permitted to work in the house and on the grounds, Eve made sure
that the prerequisite for each staffer would have to consist of a marriage with at least twenty years and two children attached. She knew the chances of any mature woman throwing away her marriage and forsaking her children’s feelings for a fling with her husband were virtually zero. Besides, Eve knew that Chase wouldn’t be at all interested in screwing someone that resembled or even slightly reminded him of his mother.

She also made sure she was an excellent employer, paying attention to everything—birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, religious interests, and so on—and making certain that no occasion went unnoticed. She not only gave expensive gifts but made sure that each gift was both thoughtful and extremely personal to ensure her staff’s loyalty.

On top of that, Eve also made sure that every paycheck to her staff bore her signature and not Chase’s. She even went as far as to amend their prenup to include a clause that stated in the event of a divorce, she could decide who, if anyone, could continue to be employed at the Landon estate. There was even a provision added allowing her first pick of any staff member to come and work for her at full salary for up to five years, to be paid for by Chase, in the event that she wasn’t permitted to keep the house.

Eve had heard the tales of players getting involved with their staff long before she’d met or married Chase. The firm she worked with was a full-service firm, catering to everything and everyone in sports entertainment. From divorce to domestic violence, contract negotiations to criminal court appearances, Eve was prepared for anything. She was smart, always anticipating the worst, even while being prepared to demand the best.

When word got around about how strict Eve’s hiring process was, many of the other wives thought she was being a bit ridiculous. But she didn’t care; she knew she was protecting herself from any “incident” that might occur, just like what had happened to her best friend Amber at her house, involving their family’s personal chef.
Although Eve warned Amber of the risks of hiring female help, Amber insisted on hiring a beautiful, young chef by the name of Sa’Myra whom Amber met after she was hired to cater their mutual friend Paula’s birthday party a few months back. Sa’Myra’s dishes were exquisite, but while the taste of Sa’Myra’s rosemary jerked chicken still made Eve’s mouth water, she knew that anyone who looked and cooked with such perfection was not to be trusted.

“Are you fucking kidding me, Amber?”

“Come on, Eve. I mean really. Sa’Myra is all about her work. She’s been here three weeks already and not once has she even looked in Sean’s direction. Olivia adores her, Sean and I are eating healthy and losing weight, and we have more time to spend with each other. Our sex life has never been better, and frankly, her rosemary jerk chicken dinners have us all looking forward to Fridays. We haven’t been this happy as a family in a long time.” Amber selected a pair of sandals from her closet and slipped them on while Eve touched up her makeup.

“I hear you, girl, but I still wouldn’t trust any bitch that looks better than me parading around my husband,” Eve recalled saying while she dusted the shine from her face with her makeup brush while sitting in Amber’s bathroom.

“Wait! Are you saying Sa’Myra looks better than me?”

“Umm, yeah! Have you looked at her? Don’t get me wrong. You’re cute, and when you actually take the time to do the work, you give the average woman a run for her money, but let’s keep it one hundred: You don’t always do that. Take the outfit you picked out today,” Eve said, raising an eyebrow. “With a broad like Sa’Myra in the house, jeans, a tee, and your hair in a ponytail won’t cut it.”

“Well, not everyone feels the need to look like they just ripped up the runway, Eve. Some of us can’t afford to spend our entire
day shopping, getting pampered at the spa, or grooming all the damn time. We have houses to run.”

“Bitch, please. I work! And I say this with love: You’re the queen of all those things. Don’t front! You’ve got a nanny, trainer, housekeeper, house manager, driver, assistant, ass kisser and wiper. Need I go on?”

The ladies laughed as Amber threw a shirt at Eve.

“I’m just saying, Sa’Myra is not just some non-muthafuckin’ factor kinda chick. She’s freaking Halle Berry pretty, so be careful. A woman like that usually has a plan. And I’d make for damn sure that the only thing she’s jerking in this house is the chicken.”

Eve closed the door to her refrigerator. Thinking about that conversation brought back major concerns. She wished she’d been wrong about Sa’Myra, yet time soon gave confirmation to her suspicions. Less than three months after she’d been hired to cater their daughter Olivia’s seventh birthday party, Sa’Myra turned her attention to Amber’s husband. As soon as Sean’s basketball off-season ended and preseason resumed, Sa’Myra made her move.

The low blow came when after months of serving Amber’s family with food, she quit her job as their personal chef and served Sean with paternity papers requesting prenatal care and payment for their unborn child.

“Babe!” Chase shouted from the garage interrupting Eve’s train of thought.

“I’m in the kitchen,” she bellowed back. “I’m making you breakfast.”

Within minutes Eve had prepared the omelets and Chase’s favorite protein shake, and she was cutting fresh fruit by the time he’d reached the kitchen.

“What were you doing? You were supposed to be resting,” Eve asked.

“Nah, I was making sure your gift was ready.”

Eve beamed with excitement. Chase took every opportunity he could to spoil Eve with the absolute best. Their first five years of marriage read like a fairy tale, complete with houses, cars, jewels, shopping sprees, exquisite trips: the whole nine yards. Eve had a particular fetish for shoes and cars, and although she had a museumquality collection of each, more was definitely merrier.

The only thing missing in her fairy-tale life was a fairy godmother, or in Eve’s case, a mother at all!

Eve’s mom objected to everything associated with their marriage, to the extent of not even showing up for the wedding. Eve tried everything, including paying off her mom’s house in Miami and purchasing a store in the posh neighborhood of Coral Gables in order for her mother to live out her dream of owning a boutique. Eve even kept her job, working part time with Andrew’s most VIP Los Angeles clients, hoping her mom would recognize that she still had her independence. But even though they spoke on occasion, it wasn’t the same.

“For you, my lovely wife . . .” Chase smiled slyly with his hands behind his back.

“What have you done?” Eve asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

Chase held out a small Tiffany box. “Happy anniversary, babe.”

Eve tried hard to mask her disappointment. She loved Tiffany’s, but she wasn’t a huge fan of jewelry, and Chase knew it.

“Well, what are you waiting for?” he cross-examined her. “Open it!”

Eve sighed, remembering she hadn’t given any hints about what she wanted this year. Usually she’d leave Chase clues around the house or in his practice bag suggesting things she wanted, but this time she was hoping he’d surprise her.

She took a deep breath as she opened the small blue box. To her surprise, there wasn’t a ring or earrings inside; instead, there was only a signature blue pouch that didn’t look like it held any kind of jewelry.
Eve opened the pouch and pulled out a key chain. On the chain was a small device with a Bentley symbol.

“It’s outside,” Chase smiled.

Eve darted toward the front door, flinging it open. To her surprise, Chase had purchased her dream car: a tomato-red Bentley Continental GT-Diamond edition. Eve couldn’t believe her eyes.

“Chase . . . I don’t know what to say.”

“I do. The pink slip is in your name,” he joked.

“What are you trying to say?” She smiled nudging him sarcastically.

“Don’t even try it. I hear you all the time schooling your girls about making sure they get stuff in their names, just in case something happens and their relationships don’t work out. I also know how we players are. But I want you to know that not only do I got you, but I trust you, and I want you to trust me. I wanted you from the very first moment I saw you. And when you agreed to marry me, I promised myself I’d never do anything to hurt you. What’s mine is yours, babe.”

“What about the prenup?” she teased.

“You give me five more years like the last five, you know the deal. The prenup disappears. Hell, I’ll get rid of it tomorrow if you’d finally agree to get pregnant.”

“Chase,” she pouted, “we’ve talked about this. I just made junior agent last year. I don’t think I’m ready to give that up just yet, nor am I ready to become a mom. You know it’s not about the money. It never has been. I love you, but I also love me. And I just need to know that my dreams matter.”

“I know, and trust me, babe, they do,” he said, wrapping his arms around her. “And that’s why I love you. It’s also why you’re dropping me off at practice today, in your new ride.”

“Only on one condition,” she teased.

“You’re kidding, right?”

“No,” she said, slipping open her robe. “I’ll give you a ride in my new car,
if
you promise to let me ride you one more time.”

Chase lifted her into his arms and kissed her passionately. “It could get a little bumpy. You sure your back can handle it?”

Eve bit his ear in anticipation. Marriage was about sacrifice, and after what he’d just done for her, she was willing to sacrifice everything to make him half as happy as he’d just made her. “Start your engine, daddy. I’m ready.”

2

Jackie
nodded in approval of the ruby-red sateen blouse and navy blue pencil skirt with matching navy pumps, her KTEL station wardrobe stylist had just picked out. She shook her finger and her head as she motioned to her staff not to speak to her because she was on the phone. She gave a polite wink to her segment producer, acknowledging his signal to her needing to wrap up her call. As she took her seat, a team of hair, makeup, and manicurists immediately went to work on transforming Jackie’s natural beauty into an on-air masterpiece.

“I heard what you said, Eve, but I don’t know how convincing you think I can be when I don’t exactly buy this whole Wives’ Association bullshit myself. Hell, unless you can convince me otherwise, this shit looks like another one of my Saturdays spent with another group of stay-at-home, unemployed, designer-wearing, Chanel bag-carrying, weaves-always-right and bodies-always-tight, superficial-ass bunch of athletes’ wives.”

“Well, damn, Jackie, why don’t you tell me how you
really
feel?” Eve laughed.

“You know what I’m talking about. Hell, you’ve been around five years now, and you and I both know damn well that forming another
organization just means we’ve got to spend time getting to know some excited-ass rookie wife. Hell, I work, and when I’m not working, I’m trying to put in as much time as possible with my girls and their little fast, spoiled asses. I swear to God, if one of them makes me a grandmother before I’m forty . . . whew, chile!”

“Jackie, now you know, you know me better than that. Besides, I work too! And The Wives Association isn’t just some social group who bakes fucking cookies as fundraisers for our husbands. This is about us protecting ourselves as wives. Jackie, you’ve been in this game the longest. Your support would mean a lot to me. But I’m doing this regardless.”

Jackie rolled her eyes as she snatched her hand back from manicurist until she finished her call. “Now, don’t go getting yourself all worked up. I didn’t say I wouldn’t help you. I simply said I wasn’t completely convinced.”

“Oh . . .” Eve paused. “Well, I’m glad you’re going to help me. Thank you, Jackie.”

“Yeah, yeah . . . Send me an e-mail with the details and I’ll see what I can do. But, bitch, you owe me,” Jackie stated matter-of-factly. “And I ain’t talking about some simple-ass gift either. In terms of hierarchy with this association, I need you remember this
very
big favor you’re asking me for . . . got it?”

“Got it!” Eve agreed.

“Now, I’ve gotta go. I’m on the air in half an hour.”

“Perfect, I’ll see you at the house tomorrow evening around six o’clock for our first gathering with the other women.”

“Mmmmm-hmmm. Six o’clock, tomorrow! Now, get off my phone!” Jackie heard Eve laughing prior to hanging up the telephone. Although she had major reservations in the beginning about Eve, since becoming a part of the Leopards’ family after marrying Chase, she and Eve had become really good friends, in a love-you-hate-you kinda way.

“Mrs. O’Conner, here are your commentary notes for today’s
segments with singing sensation Rihanna. Sean says he’ll be down in a moment to walk you through the segment points. Is there anything else I can do for you?” Erin, the KTEL production assistant, asked politely.