On the Ropes (Down for the Count) (33 page)

“Breakfast would be great,” he cracks a smile, revealing his gray teeth.

After breakfast, the three of us are showered, and Jase is getting more anxious as the morning passes. He’s twitchy, pacing the floors and biting what’s left of his fingernails. “What time is it?” he asks, for what feels like the hundredth time.

“We still have another hour and a half,” Salem answers.

“We?” Jase and I respond in unison.

“Oh, I thought I was going too.”

“You can come if you want to but we’ll need to take your car, if that’s okay?”

“Of course. Do you mind if we stop by my place first so I can change?” she looks down at her clothes.

“Not at all, when do you want to leave?” I ask.

“Where is the appointment?”

“On Albert Street, it’s like a ten minute drive from here.”

“Then we should probably leave now,” she looks at her phone. “I’ll be quick.”

“Ha! I’ve heard that before,” I tease her.

“Well that was for a special occasion,” she grins at me.

I’m shocked. “A special occasion?”

“Well yeah, you were taking me out and I needed to look good.”

“You always look good,” I groan in her ear. “Especially when you’re over or under me,” I smack her ass.

“Ouch,” she jumps, laughing.

“Really, you guys? Haven’t you had enough sex in the last twelve hours?” Jase says, shaking his head and rolling his eyes at us.

“Ummm, no.”

Salem buries her face into my shoulder, embarrassed again. “Please make this conversation stop.”

“Let’s get going then, so we’re not late.” I chuckle as I head to the door with Salem in tow, still hiding her face in my shirt.

A while later, Salem parks her car in front of her condo. “I’ll only be a few minutes. Do you guys want to come in or just wait in the car?”

I look in the backseat at Jase. He’s biting his fingernails again, and his knee is bouncing nervously. “Whatta you wanna do, wait in the car or go in?”

“We can go in, I guess,” he shrugs.

Salem turns her car off and the three of us go into her condo. Both of her roommates are sitting on the couch watching E! as we walk past them. “Ladies,” I nod my head as Jase and I continue following Salem into her bedroom. Jocelyn smiles and winks, Daniela just looks confused.
What the heck is that all about?

“Give me five minutes,” she says as she enters her walk-in closet. “I’m just going to throw on some yoga pants and a sweatshirt.”

“It takes you five minutes to do that?” I laugh, poking my head around the door to see if I can catch a glimpse of her topless.

Just then, we hear a loud, angry voice coming down the hallway. “Where is she? I know she didn’t sleep here last night! I drove by half the night and her car wasn’t here.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Blaine,” Jocelyn insists, “she was here all night with me.”

“Bullshit, Jocelyn. Get out of my way!”

Salem runs out of the closet, her eyes wide and her face panicked. “Go into the bathroom, quick!” she whispers loudly, pointing in the direction of her bathroom.

“No, I’m gonna tell that fucker to stay away from you,” I walk towards the door.

“Gabriel, please,” she pleads with me, touching my face while her lips softly touch mine. I melt at her touch. “Neither of us need this right now. I can handle him,” her eyes stare into mine, giving me reassurance.

I cave. “Fine, but if I hear anything I don’t like, I’m coming out and kicking his fucking ass,” I glance over at the door. “Jase, hurry up,” I motion him into Salem’s bathroom with me and we go in, leaving the door ajar.

“Where were you last night?” I hear Blaine bust through Salem’s bedroom door.

“I should ask the same of you!” she snaps back at him, standing her ground.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he gets defensive.

“Oh please, like you don’t know. I saw you, Blaine, in the parking lot getting your dick sucked,” she shouts.

“What are you talking about?” his voice cracks as it rises again.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought, you can’t even come up with a good excuse. You make me sick,” her tone is venomous. “You’ve obviously changed your mind about blow jobs because your eyes were rolling in the back of your head.”

I’m trying to watch them through the crack in the door. I see him nearing her, his hand reaching for her arm, and my hand jerks for the door knob; he better not lay a hand on her. Just as I’m grabbing the handle, she shoves him, “Get away from me, Blaine. You’ve hurt me for the last time. How many girls have there been?”

Cool, she’s got this.
I let go of the handle.

“Salem…” Blaine tries to get a word in.

“You think I’m stupid, that I don’t know? I figured it was just a phase, that you’d get it out of your system. But now I can see you’re a cheater, through and through, and it’s not going to change just because I choose to ignore it!”

“Baby, please…”

“Don’t ‘Baby’ me. You think I’m actually going to put up with this?” her voice is getting louder and louder. Her face is crimson red with anger and her chin quivers as she tries to hold herself together.

Blaine’s back is to me so I can’t see his face, but no words are coming out of his mouth; he’s speechless. There’s nothing he can say to get himself out of this one. He was caught with his pants down, literally.

“Get out of my house!” Salem’s voice is beginning to waver. He takes a step towards her.

“Baby, I’m sorry. She means nothing. You’re the one I love, you know that.”

I watch her give in to him, wrapping her arms around him as she cries into his shoulder.
Why does he have such a hold on her? How can she forgive him? She caught him in the act!
I can feel my heart shattering into a million pieces as I watch them through the door. I clench my fists tightly together, not caring about how much it hurts. If I could pound a hole in the wall right now, I would.

He tries to kiss her. “No!” she pushes him away from her. “Not this time, Blaine,” she says confidently, as she stands up tall.

“I think it’s time for you to go, Blaine,” Jocelyn orders as she enters the room. “Don’t worry, I’ll pick up the pieces like I always do,” she pats him on the back.

“Salem, please,” he grovels as Jocelyn leads him out by his arm.

“It’s too late for that. You should’ve thought of that before you had your cheap whore sucking your dick,” she turns her back to him.

Atta girl
. I smile to myself. I watch her through the door as she sits down on the corner of her bed, wiping the tears from her face. I want to run out to her, to comfort her, but I need to be sure Blaine’s gone before I do.

“The prick is gone,” Jocelyn opens the bathroom door.

Pushing by her, I rush to Salem, taking a seat next to her on the bed, “I’m so proud of you,” I caress her hair. She leans into me and begins to bawl. “Shhhh… you did so good. You held your own and didn’t back down. I wanted so badly to come out here and knock his lights out.”

Salem begins to laugh through her tears; her face all splotchy from crying.

“Don’t you shed another tear for him, Say, he’s not worth it.” Jocelyn growls angrily. “You should’ve dumped his ass.”

“You know it’s not that easy, Jocey.”

“Oh, it is that easy. Watch and learn,” she boldly walks up to Jase. “Blaine, you’re a cheating fuckball,” her finger pokes into his chest. “Go fuck yourself!” She turns to us, smiling, “See, easy as pie,” she then leaves Salem’s room and leaves behind a completely stunned Jase.

He finally finds his voice. “Wow,” he whispers in awe.

My arm is snugly around Salem as she rests her head on my shoulder. I can feel her smile even though her body shudders every few seconds from crying.

“That girl is a trip,” I laugh.

“I don’t mean to interrupt,” Jase says cautiously, “but we only have about fifteen minutes until my appointment, and I’m not feelin’ so good.”

I look over at him. His complexion is ashen; beads of sweat are covering his brow, and his lips are dry. His hands are stuffed into his pants pockets, but I can see him fidgeting.

“Oh God, Jason, I’m so sorry,” Salem looks up at him. “Let’s go,” her voice is urgent as she jumps from my hold. “Come on, we’ve got to go!” she shakes her head at me impatiently, holding her hand out.

I look up at her with a smile; she amazes me yet again. She’s putting aside all her hurt and pain for Jase, a man she hardly knows. Hell, I hardly know him anymore.

As we head down the stairs in her condo, I stop halfway down, “You don’t think Blaine is waiting for you outside, do you?”

“No, I heard the pansy-ass peel out when he left,” Jocelyn chimes in from the top of the stairs.

“Good, I hope he wraps his car around a tree,” Salem sneers.

“You don’t mean that,” I give her a gentle squeeze.

“Yes she does, and so do I!” Jocelyn yells.

I shake my head, laughing at Jocelyn’s comment.

“How you holding up back there, Jason?” Salem asks.

I look at him in the rearview mirror. He’s biting his fingernails again, “I just want to get this over with.”

“You’re going to be just fine,” Salem reaches around to touch his knee, giving him a warm smile.

“I’m glad you think so,” he forces a smile.

The waiting room of the clinic is small and stuffy. There are at least half a dozen people waiting who look just as bad or even worse, than Jase. Salem walks up to the frosted window and lightly taps on it. The window opens, and an older, heavy-set woman asks briskly, “May I help you?”

“Jason Vega,” Salem says, keeping her voice down.

The woman turns to her computer. “Does he have an appointment?”

“Yes, he does,” I interject. “It could be under ‘Jase Vega.’”

“Well, I don’t see either name in here,” her tone is short as she peers up from her glasses. “Are you sure it’s here?”

“Gabe,” Jase moans.

I turn to look at him, and he’s doubled over holding his stomach.

“I think I’m gonna puke.”

“Do you have a bathroom?” Salem looks over at the receptionist.

“It’s only for patients.”

“Well, he’s gonna puke on your floor if he doesn’t get to one,” I bark at her.

She huffs loudly, getting up from her desk. The door to the right of her window opens. “It’s down the hall, second door on the right.”

I walk by her with my arm wrapped around Jase, not even acknowledging her.

“Thank you,” Salem says to her kindly.

“Can you believe that bitch?” I say to Jase.

He begins to gag, so I pick up the pace as we walk down the hallway. “Hang in there, Jase,” I struggle to open the bathroom door and hold him up at the same time.

“Gabriel, let me help you,” Salem quickly walks down the hall.

Jase’s body has become limp, and his shirt is soaked from his sweat. “Can you get the door, Salem?”

No sooner does she open the door than Jase pukes. Everything he’d eaten for breakfast is now covering the bathroom floor. “Aw Christ, Jase.”

“I’m sorry, Gabe,” he says faintly as he wipes his mouth with the back of his shaking hand. His eyes look very dark and are sunken into his head.

“I’ll get someone to help clean up,” Salem volunteers.

I manage to get Jase fully into the bathroom without stepping in any of his vomit. “I’m gonna puke again,” he covers his mouth.

I rush him into one of the stalls, just in time for him to kneel down in front of the toilet as he pukes his guts out.

“How long’s he been usin’?” asks a deep voice from behind me. I turn around to see a man stepping over the puke. His salt and pepper hair is in a crew cut, and he towers over me, standing at least six-three. The name “Chris Pearson” is on the badge pinned to his white lab coat.

“To be honest, I don’t know,” I answer, ashamed. “He’s my brother, but we’ve been estranged for a while. I’m trying to help him get back on his feet.”

“You got a long road ahead of you. Is this his first time coming to the clinic?”

“It was supposed to be,” the frustration in my voice is shining through.

“What do you mean?”

“We were told by Judge Ferriter to come here today at eleven. But, the lady at the front desk says she can’t find our appointment.”

“Judge Ferriter?”

“Gabe,” Jase moans.

I stick my head into the stall he’s in, “What’s the matter, Jase?”

“I think I’m good,” his head is resting on his forearm.

“Okay,” I kneel down to help him up.

I lead him to one of the sinks and hand him some paper towels, “Here, wash your face up and rinse your mouth.”

“So, you say Judge Ferriter sent you to us?” Chris asks curiously. “How do you know him?”

“He helped me out when I was a kid. My boxing trainer, Frankie, and the judge are good friends. Jase got picked up yesterday. Frankie called the judge and well, here we are.”

“Judge Ferriter is a great man,” Chris begins to smile, “I know him very well.”

“They’re sending someone to clean up,” Salem enters the bathroom. “Oh… Hello. I’m Salem,” she introduces herself.

“Forgive me,” he smiles and turns to me. “I never introduced myself. I’m Chris Pearson; I run the clinic.”

“You do?” Salem’s face lights up. “Can you help Jason?”