Darius Jones (21 page)

B
ad luck was a bitch. But I wasn't going to be a bitch for bad luck.

The plane trip back to LA gave me time to refocus on what was important, my wife, family, and team. The ride alone in my Town Car from LAX to Cedars made me miss being with my teammates. Couldn't wait to get back in the game.

Mom called the minute my driver parked near the hospital's entrance. Now that I was back in LA, guess I wasn't so popular. There wasn't any media madness at the airport or the hospital. Hated losing my popularity. Bad press was better than no press.

The driver opened my door. I answered, “Hi, Mom. I lost. Ashlee has permanent custody of DJ.” I was too excited about seeing my wife to be mad at Mom. Maybe it was best Ashlee had DJ a while longer. She was right. She deserved more time with my son but she wasn't keeping him. I was getting my man back.

“Well, I've got some news that will cheer you up. Where are you?”

“At the hospital getting ready to go upstairs and visit Fancy. But I could use some good news. What's up?” I settled myself in the backseat, motioned for the driver to close my door.

“One, all of my charges were dropped. Two, they found the twins. And three, I know who's responsible for your car incident, and you were right, it was no accident.”

My heart stopped. I stopped, I sat still. “Who, Ma?”

“Bambi—”

Had to cut Mom off. “Your personal assistant? Why would she want to hurt us? She could've killed us.” Damn, a chick went through my mom to try to harm my wife, my kid, and me. Why?

“There's more to the story. Go visit Fancy. Come see me tomorrow after Fancy is discharged.”

“Ma, text me Bambi's address.”

“Darius, no. Let the police handle this, please. You don't need any more bad press.”

“Ma, text me her address.” Soon as I left the hospital, I was paying that chick a personal visit. If Ma didn't text me Bambi's address, I knew where to find it.

I got out of the car, picked up a pass from registration, and went to 3117 thankful this was my wife's last night in the hospital. I was glad I'd made it back in time for her discharge. I was looking forward to our alone time to give her my uninterrupted version of the madness before the paparazzi bombarded us first thing in the morning.

Tap. Tap.
I knocked, then opened her door. That was the Ladycat I was accustomed to seeing. The hospital gown didn't detract from her beauty. Her hair flowed over her shoulders, her face was radiant. When she noticed me, Fancy sat up in her bed. No smile or hello. She was reading
Be Careful What You Wish For
. A woman in a white wedding gown was on the cover.

Jokingly, I said, “Hey, I hope that's not a sign of how you feel about me.”

The book left her hand, whistled through the wind, pages fluttered, the spine hit me in the head. “Ow!”

“Get out!” she yelled. “Get out of my room and stay out of my life!”

I rushed my wife, covered her mouth, then shook my head. “Keep it down before the nurses make me leave again. I'm not going anywhere. You can't get rid of me that easily. Don't you want to hear my side?”

Not my wife too. I already felt like shit after listening to Ciara and Maxine's mom back to back. At least Ashlee had forgiven me, I hoped. Under no circumstance was I letting my wife leave me. Had to have my star player on my team.

“I'm not staying married to a male whore. You can't control your dick, Darius. I get sick for a week and you're cheating on me. And that lady from the restaurant came here, to my hospital room, and tried to kill me. I could be dead! Twice! Next time I might not be so fortunate. You're not worth my losing my life over your mistress. She can have you.”

I shook my head. “That's not true. I don't have a mistress. Is that what they printed in the paper?”

“To hell with what's in the paper, I'm talking about the woman who came here and…” Fancy stopped talking and started crying.

W
here was my Darius? What was taking him so long to come to me?

Relaxing in my oversized tub, I enjoyed my candlelit bubble bath. That two-headed lady did say, “Darius will come to you.” When? How long was I supposed to wait? Where was I supposed to be? That two-headed lady had better not be a double scammer. I'd hunt her down if her love spell didn't work and she'd better not think I'd forgotten about my engagement ring either.

“Since you can read my mind, you thief, give me back my ring.”

I scrubbed my body with a loofah sponge three times over. Inserted my finger into my pussy, cleaned myself out. I got out of the tub, into the shower, shampooed and conditioned my hair. Filled the tub with cold water, dipped my body to tightened my skin. I massaged my body all over with aloe and almond body oil, toweled dry, then applied Victoria's Secret Vanilla Shimmer body lotion.

I lay across my bed, gazing toward the ceiling. The room was black. I couldn't see the space in front of my nose. I meditated, cleared my mind, recapped my conversation with the two-headed lady.

I'd done my good deed. Actually, I'd done more than two. Dropping off the twins at Jada's made my good deed quadruple. The babies were safe. Honey and Grant were grateful. Bailed Jada out—she didn't have to stay in jail awaiting her court hearing. Plus I'd heard on the news earlier her charges were dropped. The two-headed lady should give me extra credit.

Once my cell phone started ringing back to back, I knew Rita had sold me out. I didn't care about that old woman, her daughter, grandbabies, Grant, Honey, Fancy, or Jada. All I cared about was my Darius.

It was time for my love spell to do the damn thing.

My body felt like satin, pussy was sweet as cotton candy. Closing my eyes, I'd channeled my thoughts toward Darius. I massaged my breasts, spread my thighs, craved and visualized his body on top of me. His dick head stroked my lips. He put his head inside me. I could feel it growing bigger and bigger.

I moaned, “Say you love me. Say my name. If you can hear me, I'm waiting for you at…in Long Beach.” I repeated my address three times. I concentrated all my energy on connecting with Darius. The house was quiet. I had no distractions, no Rita, no whining babies.

Surrounded by Darius's pictures and posters, I hugged his body pillow. I wrapped my legs around the pillow imagining what I'd do when I had the real thing. I prayed Fancy wasn't keeping Darius from me. With Darius's bad press, that bitch Fancy should be on my team. I tried to patiently await my lover, my future husband, and my friend.

Two hours later I heard a humming sound in my driveway. I sprung from my parents' bed. “He's here! He's here! I did it! It worked!”

I ran to the front door, opened it. There was my Darius getting out of his car…police car?

I slammed, then locked my front door. If the cops come up in here, I might have to do a Kathy Bates, except I didn't have a basement. I'd have to toss my dad's remains in the ocean, squeeze the police officers' dead bodies in the coffin. I was not going to jail.

I went to my closet, got my semiautomatic, stood in my living room. If they entered my home, I was prepared to kill them.

I
heard a voice in my head. “Darius, you need to take care of that bitch, Bambi.” That fucked me up. No one was in the hospital room but my wife and I. But that sound interrupted my thoughts. It was as though a person spoke directly into my ears. That voice was crystal clear. I jammed my pointing fingers in my ears deep as I could, rattled my head, then yanked my fingers out. I admitted to myself I wanted revenge.

My wife narrowed her eyes, stared at me, then said, “Don't try to play crazy with me. I'm not falling for it, Darius.”

I slid a chair next to her bed. “Our love is stronger than this. I don't know what mistress you're talking about.” I hadn't tried to find or thank the woman I'd picked up at My House but I was grateful she still hadn't spoken to the press. Maybe it was best to let that situation slide and pray it didn't haunt me later.

With the twins being found, the charges being dropped against my mom, my situation should slowly dissipate and return to normal. Maybe someone would be a bigger fuck-up and the media would focus on them.

The voice returned. I scratched the back of my head, frowned. “Darius, you need to go take care of that bitch.”

I told Fancy, “Baby, I gotta go.”

“You're not going anywhere.”

First she demanded I leave, now I couldn't go. I didn't want to go. I had to. Something was summoning me and I couldn't control myself. “Darius, what are you tripping about?”

I whispered, “I'm on my way.” Aw, man. Was this shit for real? I scratched the back of my head again. Okay, settle down. You want revenge on this chick so bad it's driving you nuts.

“Darius, you're on your way where?” Fancy asked.

I shook my hands in front my chest. “I said that because I know who's responsible for the accident, all right.” What the fuck was going on inside my head?

“What has gotten into you? So the media is printing lies about you?” Fancy asked, stuffing her pillow behind her back. “You're not going to sit here and play crazy with me. You are going to answer my questions.”

I heard, “If you don't go now, she's going to get away.” I frowned. This shit was weird. Rattling my arms, I shook it off, then said, “I don't need Bambi.”

Fancy said, “Bambi? Who in the hell is Bambi? Forget I asked. Don't answer that.”

Fancy opened the drawer facing her bed, pulled out a business card, handed it to me, then yelled, “Who in the fuck is Bambi and why was her card on my stand?”

I took the card, tore it in half, threw it in the trash. I'd put a card on my wife's stand after that nurse's assistant…Fuck! What the hell was happening here? “I don't know that bitch!”

“Darius Henry Jones, why did you call her by her name?”

“What are you talking about? I was telling you about DJ.”

“You never mentioned DJ, Darius. Stop lying! Just stop it.”

Wow, this was my way out. “I didn't tell you? I lost custody of DJ today.”

“Today? You're telling me you lost custody of our son today? Oh, so now you're trying to drive me crazy. First, Bambi. And now…How the hell did you lose custody of DJ?” Fancy stared into my eyes. Her eyes shifted side to side, scanning mine.

“My mom asked Ashlee to watch DJ for a while. Ashlee took him back to D.C. and filed a petition for custody. With all the bad press on my back, she won. That would've never happened if the accident hadn't happened. The good news is we know who's responsible.” I'd hoped to take the focus off me.

“Who, Darius? Who's responsible?”

Suddenly, the name hit me and I couldn't tell Ladycat. “I don't remember. I have to double-check with mom.” I checked my iPhone. Mom hadn't texted me Bambi's address.

Fuck, this shit was getting creepier by the minute. The same person who tried to kill my wife was my mom's assistant? And she'd tried to kill my wife twice. And she's been around us the entire time and we were clueless. Damn.

Fancy snapped her fingers. “Earth to Darius. I'm over here. You lost our baby to her? I'm getting my baby back. Ashlee is unfit.”

“How you gon' take care of my son and not be with me?”

“You should've thought about that when you were getting your dick sucked.”

True. But no woman wanted to hear a man's truth. At that time I was thinking with the wrong head. Getting my dick sucked felt incredible. I wish I could trade places with my wife for one blow job so she could understand.

T
he police officers backed away, stood outside my front door. “We know you're in there. Bambi Bartholomew, come out with your hands up.”

I thought that kind of shit only happened on television. I'd wait them out. I kept standing in the middle of my living room floor. They weren't going to catch me off guard.

This is the thanks I got for helping Jada and paying Rita to keep her damn mouth shut. That was okay. I had a plan for them.

I couldn't have a healthy marriage with Darius if I had to keep the police off our backs all the time. Maybe when the love spell took over, Darius would fall in love with me, and I could relax. How long would that take? I had too many unanswered questions.

The police messed up my fantasy. After I finished making love to Darius, I had to text that two-headed lady.

I sat in a chair facing the door. It was quiet outside my home. Too quiet. I pictured Darius undressing me. I came instantly when he bit my nipple. I wanted so much from this man. I imagined his dick deep inside me. Prayer wasn't a part of the spell but I prayed to conceive his baby tonight. How, I didn't know and I didn't care. As long as I had Darius's baby growing inside me, I'd be happy.

My eyes rolled to the top of my head. My entire body tingled. I came again. Trying to speed things up, thoughts of Ashlee ran interference. She crept into my mind. Darius withdrew from me. Redirecting my thoughts to Darius, I relaxed as I held him in my arms. We'd make love again and again. I lay my head on his strong chest, held him tight, dozed off. If he moved, I'd feel him.

I awakened, still sitting in the chair in my living room. I peeped outside. It was still nighttime. The police were gone.

“She lied to me!” I texted the two-headed lady, What happened here? When is my love spell going to work?

She texted, You forgot something.

I texted her, You're lying to me and you stole my engagement ring. I want it back.

This trick was playing games.

She texted, Bambi, you create your own illusions. Let's see if what's going to happen to you next is a game. Don't contact me again.

She wasn't the boss of me.
What if I do?

She texted, Try me.

I put on my sweat suit, tennis shoes, and stuffed my Ho-on-the-Go bag with lots of cash. I peeped outside. All was quiet. Shit was complicated. This was the last time I'd be in my parents' house. I gripped my semiautomatic in one hand, tote in the other.

Something told me not to open my front door.