Center Courtship (22 page)

“And a fresh order of those fries,” said Elsu from my left. I bit my tongue trying not to giggle.

“Those fries were frozen from the grocery store across the street,” said the chef. “There is no way you would
want
those.”

“Other than this steak, they're the best thing I've tasted all night,” said Casper. A giggle escaped my mouth and I had to look away.

A man in a suit and tie walked to stand beside the chef. Carl was following close behind. “Is there a problem here?” asked Carl.

Elsu stood “Yes, Mae was served chicken nuggets and fries and now this ‘chef' is insulting her and denying the meal she requested.”

“I know,” said Carl. “I saw she was returning her food. I made sure the chef knew to give her something she'd be able to eat.”

“You
what
?” asked Casper as he stood and joined Elsu to defend my honor.

“OH MY GOD! That's rich!” howled Saraya. “Give me five!” she said to Carl.

Carl peacocked his way to Saraya and they smacked palms before he sauntered back to his seat.

The man in the suit turned his back to us and spoke silently to the chef.

“This town is nothing but lowlife rednecks who know nothing about fine dining. I refuse to serve such low brow people ever again.” The chef turned to walk away and then returned to me. “I will get you your
steak
,” he said to me.

“You know what?” I said nervously. “I don't think I want it now. But thank you.”

Elsu and Casper both looked at me with exasperation written across their faces. “WHAT?”

“I know what happens to food that gets sent out in anger. I don't want anything added to my meal, if you know what I mean.”

“I would NEVER put something in food.”

“Well, I would NEVER insult an entire city full of hardworking people because I thought I was better than them. But then again, here you are,” I said angrily. “I'll just eat the fries and the nuggets. Can I have my plate back?”

The chef dropped the plate back in front of me and stormed off. I grabbed a fry and threw it in my mouth. Elsu and Casper both sat down in their seats.

“Well there was our entertainment for the evening,” said Saraya rolling her eyes. She picked up her phone and started texting again.

I threw a nugget in my mouth. It was still frozen solid in the middle. I just laughed and spit it out in my napkin. “Classy.” I heard muttered under Saraya's breath.

“It's frozen,” I said.

“The fact that you even tried to eat it is what I was referring to. That guy was right. This whole town is pathetic.”

“Ok, that's it. I'm done,” said Elsu as he looked at her, slamming both hands on the table. “I've heard the last of your insults. I will call you a cab, you can stay tonight in the hotel and then after that I want nothing more to do with you. I will have Magdalena box up your clothes and send them wherever you want me to send them. It's not like you ever wore them, I should just send them to Goodwill.”

“You wouldn't dare!” she reeled.

“Try me.” His words came out like steam. Hot and boiling.

“I'm not going anywhere,” she crossed her arms across her chest and sat back. I had seen my nephews use that tactic.

Elsu looked at me, he seemed relieved. Was he really breaking up with her? Would he miss her? What was the tinge of happiness I was feeling about the whole thing?

We were served a plate of burning bananas. Ok, the menu said Bananas Foster. But I liked my title better. They were ok. Nothing to write home about. I ate half of it and pushed it away.

Shortly after our dessert plates were removed and drinks were refilled, a man came to stand so that everyone at the head tables could hear him. “Team, team!” He clapped his hands loudly, getting everyone's attention. “The people out there paid a lot of money to be here tonight, you need to make it worth it for them! Get your butts up and mingle the shit out of this crowd!” He yelled, clapped again and walked away.

I started to laugh at the ridiculousness of the demand. “That's the head coach,” said Elsu into my ear. “He talks like that all the time. I imagine that's what it sounds like when he has sex.”

I shook my head trying to get that mental image out of my mind.

Slowly, the team members rose and started making their way between the tables full of diners. Millard appeared from nowhere and stood a few feet behind Elsu. I looked around and saw that the dates were all that remained of the two head tables. For the first time I took a look at the table behind and above us. Women whose fashion sense resembled Saraya's sat evenly spaced across a good portion of the table. I hoped that their similarities stopped there. There was no way I could put up with more than one of her. A few men, perhaps fathers or brothers also stayed behind. I decided I needed to go to the restroom, so I grabbed my purse and left my seat. Once in the sanctity of a stall, I pulled out my phone to see I had missed texts and voicemails from Colette, Aaron, my mom, Christopher, Candice and Gina. “What the hell?” I whispered to myself. I decided to finish my time in the restroom before sorting through them, otherwise Casper would be sending out a search and rescue team. I flushed and started arranging my outfit. Colette never mentioned how much of a pain in the ass it was going to be to go to the bathroom in the jumpsuit. Just as I was finished I heard the door open. Several voices filled the room. I walked out and saw that a number of the team's dates had decided to make a group bathroom run as well. I smiled at them nervously and went to wash my hands.

“So, you're Mae,” said one of them. With my back turned I wasn't sure who the words came from.

I looked into the mirror and smiled. “Yes, that's me.” I needed a paper towel and realized they were all standing in front of the lone dispenser. “Excuse me,” I said as I inched my way between them.

“So you're interested in Elsu?”

“Who, me? No! We're just friends.” I smiled at them.

“Are you sure? Because I saw how he was watching you. If I didn't know better, I'd say he's got it bad for you,” said one of the girls.

I laughed nervously as I threw my towel in the trash.

“This is Bridget, Callie, M'kaya and Tanya,” said one of the girls. “I'm Tonisha.” She held out her hand to me.

I accepted it and shook cautiously. I wasn't sure if they were friend or foe.

“We call ourselves the players' wives. We've been watching Elsu and Saraya since we moved here and we don't like it at all. She's not loyal to him, couldn't care less about his career and is evil with a capital E. We want her out, and you in.”

I rose an eyebrow in shock. “I don't think I have a say in that. Like I said, I'm just a friend. Besides, I'm here with Casper.”

“Casper is a player. Be careful with him. He only wants one thing. You've got tits and a vagina, right?” I nodded. “Then that's all the green light he needs.”

I rose my hands in front of myself. “I'm not looking for anything from anyone. He just invited me because his son couldn't make it.”

“Mmm hmmm…” said Callie. “Haven't heard that one before, have we, girls?”

“Yeah, he probably had planned to come with his son, but something prettier and bustier came along so he canceled on his kid,” said Tanya.

My phone buzzed in my purse indicating another text had come in. It shocked me out of the information overload that I was having and I pulled it out. Another one from my mom. “Girls, I have to get this, I'm not sure what you want me to do, but I can't force Elsu's hand.” I quickly exited the room, running smack into Saraya who was looking at her phone and entering the bathroom at the same time.

“Move!” she said sternly and I moved aside, letting her in.

I stepped to the door after it swung shut to see if I could hear any conversation but either they weren't talking, or the door was sound proof.

An employee was standing near a door marked ‘exit'. “Excuse me,” I said to him. “If I go out this door, can I get back in? I just need some fresh air.”

“Just knock, I'm stationed here for the night,” he opened the door for me and I stepped out into the cool November night. The difference in temperature between the inside and the outside was drastic. I quickly remembered that I wasn't wearing sleeves and had left Colette's wrap at my seat.

I grabbed my phone again and checked my text messages. Colette wanted to know how things were going. Gina was wanting to know about a picture she had seen online from the
party. I was afraid to know what she had seen. Christopher, Candice and my mom all had questions about the same picture, apparently.

I clicked on the voice mail and listened as my mom yelled at me for not inviting Candice to the dinner. I rolled my eyes.

The door I had come out of opened and I turned to see Casper looking at me as I leaned against the railing of a fence that separated the restaurant's property from the next. I smiled, thinking back to the conversation I had with the girls in the bathroom. Was he really as bad as they said?

“What are you doing out here?” he asked.

“Just checking voice messages,” I said as I held up a finger.

“Mae, what in the hell are you doing at that dinner? Get your butt home where it belongs!”
She hung up. I rolled my eyes again.

“Is everything ok?” Casper stepped closer to me, a hand was placed on my shoulder. I cringed and hoped he didn't sense my trepidation.

“No, my mom hates me,” I said without any further information.

“How can your mom hate you?”

“Oh, if I knew the answer to that, I'd also be in possession of the meaning of life,” I said with a smile.

He grabbed my phone and slipped it into my purse and then put that hand on my other arm and stood in front of me.

“I don't know about your mom, but I know someone who definitely doesn't hate you,” he said, his face getting closer to mine.

I raised an eyebrow, having a feeling I knew where this was going and not liking it one bit. “Is that so?” I asked as I attempted to wriggle free but found his grip was a little tighter than I realized.

His face got closer still and I looked into his eyes. I didn't like the look at all. It was a look I had seen before. “Me, Mae. I don't hate you, not one…single…bit.” He bent the last inch and placed his lips on mine. His tongue trying to gain entrance to my mouth. I fought back, trying to get away but I couldn't.

I turned my head to get a breath and yelled for him to stop.

He grabbed my chin and turned my head to look at him again. “Don't fight it, sweetheart, I know you want this. You wouldn't have dressed like that if you hadn't had plans for some after-dinner fun. Besides, I bought that outfit, I should get to reap the rewards.” He forced his lips on mine again and tears poured down my face. I began pounding on his chest with the arm he had freed when he grabbed my chin. I tried to knee him but I was at the wrong angle. The personal defense classes I had taken were useless now. He was just too big for me to get an angle on him that was useful. He moved his mouth down my cheek and started sucking on my neck. He was marking me. Oh my God, he was marking me!

“Please, Casper,” I sobbed, “please stop!” I felt a hand on my ass. It started rubbing and grabbing.

“Oh, yeah, you are so hot.” He moved his hand to my breast and squeezed hard. I gasped in pain. He started trying to free it from the hold the bra had on it, but he was just becoming more irritated at his own failure to get to my tit.

Were my signals that mixed that he thought that my ‘please' was for more? I started pounding at him again. My vision was completely blurred with tears. He kept squeezing me and it hurt like hell. “Casper, I don't want this. I need you to stop!” I put my hand between his face and mine and pushed him away. Without thinking, I quickly dug in and clawed his cheek.

“HOLY FUCK!” he yelled. “What was that for?”

As soon as he grabbed for his face, I ran to the door and began pounding. The man opened it immediately and I ran in to find Elsu exiting the men's bathroom. He looked at me and started to say something before he realized the shape I could only have imagined I was in and where I had come from. He stormed past me without a word and slammed the door open. I reached to grab for him but he was too fast. I went through the door behind him and stepped outside to see him throwing Casper against the chain link fence. He punched him in the ribs repeatedly until he fell to the ground, he then kicked him in the groin and again in the back.

He squatted down to Casper's face. “Touch her again, I won't be this kind.” He spit in his face and stood up. “Get your shit out of my house tonight. I only want to see you at work, and if I
were you I'd start thinking about retirement.” He kicked some dirt in Casper's face and turned to look at me.

My tears began anew and I lowered my head in shame. Elsu walked over to me and held out his hand for mine. So much of my past started flashing through my mind and I wanted it to vanish. I wanted the whole night to be over. Instead of taking the hand, I went back to the door, knocked, and was quickly let in by the guard. “Mae!” I heard behind me but I ran to the bathroom and locked myself in the corner handicap stall. I leaned my back into the corner and the flood gates opened. I fell to the floor, burying my head in my arms and cried like I hadn't cried in years.

Once most of the sobbing had ebbed, I reached for my phone and stared at it for a while before I decided on who to call.

“Hello?”

“Aaron?” I sniffed.

“Mae?”

“Yeah, I hate to bother you. But is there any way you could come pick me up from this dinner?”

“Oh, Mae! Are you ok? Are you crying?”

I sniffled. “Yeah, just come get me.”

“Ok, I'm not nearby, it will take me a little while to get there. Can you hold on?”