Read Love, Lies and Scandal Online
Authors: Earl Sewell
Tags: #Fiction, #Romance, #Contemporary, #General
JESSE
J
esse had just exited the shower and toweled off. He placed a small foam mountain of shaving cream in his hand before applying it to his face. Once he was done shaving, he began applying moisturizer all over his naked body. The moment he touched his manhood, he achieved what he considered to be a magnificent erection.
"Woo, calm down, player. I know it's been a while but one of these days the right one is going to come along and we'll make up for lost time. This shit is for the birds," he said aloud as he exited the bathroom. He was about to put on his clothes when he heard his cell phone ring. It was JoAnn. Jesse thought that perhaps something had happened to Trina, so he answered.
"Hey, stranger," JoAnn greeted him. They'd been cordial to each other over the past few months.
"What can I do for you, JoAnn?" Jesse asked.
"I just called to see what you were doing. I can still do that, right?" she asked.
"It's a free country," Jesse answered.
"If you don't have any special plans perhaps--you know, maybe we could talk." Jesse knew what JoAnn was after, but no matter how many times he told her that he refused to have hit-and-run sex with her, she kept on trying.
"I actually do have plans for this evening," Jesse informed her. "I'm going to a New Year's Eve party."
"So you're not sitting around the house thinking about me at all, are you?" JoAnn got a little snippy with him.
"JoAnn, you're not going to ruin my evening."
"Well, I certainly wouldn't want to do that. It doesn't matter. I'm going out myself. I'm going to have me a great time. I'll bring in the New Year with a bang," JoAnn said.
"Good for you. Is Trina okay?" Jesse asked.
"She's fine. She and Jackie ran out to the store," JoAnn said.
"I'll call her tomorrow to wish her happy New Year. I'll talk to you later," Jesse said and hung up.
Jesse parked at the Hyatt Regency hotel garage. He got out of his car and followed the crowds of partygoers into the hotel.
"Happy New Year, bro!" yelled out some young partygoer who'd obviously begun celebrating long before he'd arrived at the hotel. He was traveling with several friends.
"Happy New Year to you, man." Jesse returned the greeting with a smile.
Once inside the hotel, Jesse was stopped in his tracks by a sea of people wearing party favors, cheering, drinking and dancing in place to pass the time. In the background, he could hear the thud of loud music bouncing against the air. Jesse began to feel the energy of the crowd and began popping his fingers to the music. The hotel was festooned with Christmas trees and other holiday decorations.
"Excuse me," Jesse asked a hotel worker passing by. "Which way is the ballroom?"
"Straight ahead, sir," the man shouted above the music. Jesse maneuvered his way through the crowd. He paid his entrance fee and got the back of his hand stamped. Once inside the ballroom, Jesse could see people dancing, drinking and having an all-around great time. He felt his cell phone vibrating. He looked at the caller ID and saw that it was Regina.
"Hello." Jesse held the phone up to his ear.
"Where are you?" Regina asked.
"I just walked in. Where are you sitting?" Jesse asked.
"Toward the back of the ballroom near the exit doors on the right side." Jesse glanced in the general direction that Regina said she was at.
"Okay. Give me a minute and I'll make my way over there." A short time later, Jesse found Regina and Angela sitting at a table drinking cocktails and rocking to the music as they sat. Regina was wearing a hot, red strapless dress and a top hat that said Happy New Year. Angela was wearing a black dress with straps that tied together at the back of her neck and a NewYear's tiara.
"What's up!" Regina stood up and rushed over to Jesse and hugged him the moment she saw him. They embraced each other and Regina kissed him on the cheek. "I'm so glad you could make it." Regina released her embrace so that Jesse could give Angela a hug, as well.
"How are you doing, girl?" Jesse asked, genuinely happy to see her. They embraced for a long moment. "You look fantastic," Jesse said.
"No, you're the one who looks great," Angela said, squeezing on his arms. "You and Regina have been keeping yourselves in shape running marathons. I can stand to lose a pound or two."
"Jesse, I've been trying to convince her to come out and train with us," Regina said. "Shit, if I can do it, anyone can."
"Girl, you know I can't even
imagine
running a marathon. I might--and I say might--hang in there for five or six miles, but after that, I wouldn't make it."
"You're just afraid to try it," Regina said.
"I'm afraid I've turned Regina into a marathon junkie," Jesse said laughing, then he smiled at Angela and said, "You look fine." All three of them finally sat down at the table.
"I can't wait for that damn waitress to come back with our drinks," Regina said as she continued to groove to the music. "Hell, I need a dance partner!" Regina began looking around for a man who appeared to be single.
"Girl, you are so crazy," Angela said.
At that moment, the waitress returned with the drinks Regina and Angela had ordered. Jesse then put in an order for two beers. Regina continued to dance in her seat and look at the crowd of people on the dance floor.
"So, how have you been?" Angela asked Jesse.
"I've been pretty good. My business is doing well and I can't complain too much right now," Jesse said, happy to brag a little to Angela.
"You're still as handsome as ever," Angela complimented him.
"You're not looking too bad yourself. What about you? How have you been?"
"Well, I'm doing okay. I'm sure you've heard about my divorce." Angela grimaced.
"And I'm sure you've heard about mine." Jesse chuckled. "I've seen you on television a few times. I saw you were doing some story about a high-school girl and some ecstasy drug ring."
"Oh yeah, the Keysha Kendall story. Come to find out the poor girl was set up by her best friend. Anyway, so why haven't you called me?"
"Same reason you haven't called me," Jesse responded.
"I didn't have your phone number."
"And I didn't have yours." Jesse removed his cell phone from its holster. "Give me your phone number so that I can put it into my phone."
"Do you want to dance?" A young, handsome, white guy came up to Regina.
"Do you know how to dance?" Regina asked with skepticism.
"I got you covered, baby," the young man said and Regina laughed.
"Angela, watch my purse for me?" Regina asked and allowed the young man to escort her to the dance floor.
"That girl will never change," Angela said. "She has always been a party girl."
"That's Regina. She can walk into any room and instantly make friends. She was like that when we were kids," Jesse said as he watched Regina get swallowed up into the crowd. "So, what is your phone number, Angela?"
"I'm not going to give it to you if you don't plan to call me," Angela flirted.
"I'm going to call you. I promise." Angela gave Jesse her phone number, then took his, as well. "So, how do you like being back in Chicago?" Jesse asked.
"Oh my God. I forgot how cold it gets here. I've become a warm-climate girl and this cold weather takes some getting used to."
"How did you end up back here anyway?" Jesse asked. "I mean, I know about the divorce, but why did you come back to Chicago? The last time I spoke with you, remaining in Chicago wasn't an option."
"I had to get the hell out of California. Even after Will was convicted, the local media just wouldn't leave me alone. Lucky for me, Bobbi Franklin, my boss at one point, had a friend here in Chicago who was a station manager. She put in a good word for me and the rest, as they say, is history."
"Do you like being a reporter?"
"It's kind of a demotion for me, but it pays the bills. I'd rather be at the anchor desk but I have to pay my dues, I suppose. I heard that you're a dad now."
"Yes. I have daughter who is in eighth grade. She's growing up very fast. It seems like yesterday she was born. What about you? Do you have any kids?" Jesse asked.
"No, not yet. I was too busy with my career to settle down to be a mom," Angela said, taking a sip of her drink.
"Are you dating anyone?" Jesse asked. Angela choked on her drink and began coughing.
"Are you okay?" Jesse patted her on the back a few times.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Angela said as she caught her breath.
"I must have asked you the wrong question," Jesse excused.
"No, that wasn't it," Angela assured him. "I just never thought I'd be in my thirties trying to date and start all over. But to answer your question--no, I'm not seeing anyone. I'm not interested in dating anyone right now."
"Okay. I can understand that," Jesse said.
"What about you? Are you seeing anyone?"
"Who me? No, I'm not."
"Yeah, right. You've probably got women falling all over you. You're probably one of those playas," Angela teased him.
"Now, that's funny." Jesse laughed. "I went on a few dates, but I was traumatized by the type of women I kept meeting."
"Traumatized?" Angela encouraged.
"I just haven't found someone I'm compatible with yet," Jesse said. "Plus, after I divorced, I needed some time to myself. You know what I mean?"
"Oh, yes." Angela nodded. At that moment, Regina returned.
"Hey, y'all," she said as she sat down. Regina reached into her purse and found a handkerchief to wipe the sweat off her face. "That guy could dance. He was moving like he was a member of the Backstreet Boys or something." Regina laughed as she picked up her drink.
"Speaking of dancing, would you like to dance?" Angela asked.
"I don't know. Last time I went out on the dance floor, my moves were a little rusty."
"Come on, Jesse. Everyone here is drunk. Trust me. No one is going to notice you."
"Okay." Jesse took her hand and headed out to the dance floor.
At the stroke of midnight, Jesse, Angela and Regina gathered at their table for a champagne toast.
"To friends and family," Regina said as she held up her glass.
"And to new beginnings," Angela added.
"Cheers," they all said as they clicked their glasses together.
ANGELA
A
ngela was sitting at her desk working on an online article which had to be done before she left the office. She worked hard for the television station. Not only was she often outside braving the bitterly cold weather, she also had to keep pace with her writing assignments for the station's Web site. The Chicago market was very competitive, and she didn't have the luxury of writing one story and going home. The widespread use of the Internet meant that the public was hungry for more news, more information. The public had also shifted from becoming a passive audience to an audience who wanted to get involved. Citizens were creating their own Web sites and blogs filled with news that interested them and their community. In the past, television stations had decided what was newsworthy but that was rapidly changing.
After she e-mailed her story, Angela shut down her computer and headed home. Once inside, she changed, sat on her sofa and picked up the television remote. She flipped through the channels, but nothing interested her.
"There is absolutely nothing on television," she whined. Angela went into her bedroom and picked up a book by Beverly Jenkins, one of her favorite authors. Just as she began to read, her cell phone rang.
"Jesse," she said aloud as she read the caller ID. "What's up, Jesse?"
"Hey. Did I catch you at a bad time?" he asked.
"No. I'm just sitting on my sofa at home reading a book. And you?"
"I'm still at my store working. I was just thinking about you and decided to give you a call."
"Well, it took you long enough. You had a sister wondering if you were ever going to call. It's been about three weeks since I saw you at the New Year's Eve party."
"I know. I'm sorry about that. I've just been doing a lot of work here at the store, as well as spending time with my daughter. Plus, I have a running club that I have to manage."
"It sounds as if you're trying to do too much." Angela adjusted her head on the sofa pillow, preparing for a long conversation.
"That would be true. I need to hire more staff, but it's hard to find good help who will be as dedicated and as passionate as I am. Say, do you like Chinese food?" Jesse asked.
"Yeah, I love it but I haven't found a good place here in Chicago yet," Angela admitted.
"Are you kidding me? There's a great place right in your neighborhood. Tell you what. Why don't you let me take you out one day this week. We could go there."
"Are you asking me out on a date?" Angela wanted clarification.
"No. Let's just call it two friends getting together to have conversation," Jesse explained.
"Sounds like a date to me and you know that I'm not ready for that," Angela joked.
"Okay, then I'll just drop it," Jesse said and she could tell he would hang up.
"You gave up too easily."
"Look. Let's not play games. Would you like to go out for dinner or not?"
"Yes, Jesse. I think I'd love to have dinner with you."
Friday evening of that week, Jesse and Angela were enjoying each other's company over dinner. The Asian-themed restaurant was crowded with couples, families and university students. They discussed their failed marriages in detail and how they had been changed by them.
"One thing is for sure. I'm not going to get into another relationship and be made a fool of," Angela said.
"It's hard being with someone, especially after trust has been lost. I thought that going through therapy with JoAnn would really help and it did for a while. I started to trust her again, until she made a fool of me. Again," Jesse said.
"Trust, communication and love. Without those elements, no relationship will survive," Angela agreed. "At least not for the long haul."
"So, how do you know when you've found the right person?" Jesse asked.
"I don't know exactly. I think it just kind of happens. You know, you find yourself living your life and then the next thing you know you find yourself singing a Jill Scott love song first thing in the morning." Both Angela and Jesse laughed.
"Look." Jesse scanned the restaurant quickly and noticed they were the only ones still sitting. "We'd better get out of here before they put us out." He removed his wallet and paid for dinner.
Over the next several months, Angela enjoyed getting to know Jesse again. She'd even gotten to the point that she'd get upset if he forgot to call her at least to see how she was doing.
During the spring, Angela was given a special assignment to do a series of inspirational stories about Chicago and its citizens. She interviewed a woman who'd lost one of her legs serving as a soldier in Iraq yet had been inspired to run a marathon. The soldier was about to start training for her third consecutive marathon.
"I started crying when the woman said she ran to show her family that she was still strong," Regina said of the inspirational story. She and Angela were spending Sunday afternoon volunteering at church. They were speaking to young people about their careers as part of the church's mentoring program. They were sitting by themselves at the moment.
"I was touched by her strength, too. Living through what she had and still finding the will, strength and determination to carry on is incredible," Angela agreed.
"Her husband was great. I could tell that he loved and supported her," said Regina. "One of these days, I'm going to find me a husband who loves me that much."
"Take your time, girl, and make sure you find the right man--" Angela stopped in midsentence.
"What's wrong with you?" Regina asked.
"A strange idea just popped into my head."
"What idea?" Regina asked.
"When does marathon training begin?" Angela asked.
"Next Saturday is the first day of orientation for Jesse's training program."
"Are you going, Regina?"
"Of course I am. I help Jesse with registration every year," Regina said.
"I'm thinking about running it this year," Angela said.
"Girl, stop playing." Regina dismissed Angela's comment.
"Regina, I'm serious. I'm inspired. I want to do something challenging and different. I want to do something I've never done before."
"That's a reason that many people join. They want to push and challenge themselves."
"Do you think I can do it?" Angela asked.
"Of course you can. You can do anything you want to." Regina was encouraging.
The following week, Angela got up early on Saturday morning, put on her new running gear and headed down to the 63rd Street YMCA to register for marathon training. When she arrived, there was a large gathering of people of all ages and from various walks of life. Many of them appeared to be old friends who had not seen each other all winter and were looking forward to spending the next several months training together. Angela saw a large truck with the name of Jesse's sporting goods store on the side of it.
When Angela finally reached the registration table, she was happy to see that Jesse was ready to take her information.
"Do I really have to give you information that you already have?" Angela flirted.
"Yes, you do," he said seriously, focused on the paperwork.
"Oh, it's like that, huh?" Angela asked as she filled out the form that Jesse handed to her.
"Hey, I have to have every participant fill out a medical release form. It keeps a brother out of court, if you know what I mean." Jesse laughed.
"I understand," Angela answered. When she finished filling out the form and gave Jesse a check to cover her registration fee, he handed her another form.
"Now, what's this for?" Angela asked.
"This year after the marathon, we've put together a seven-day cruise package for anyone who wants to reward themselves with a vacation. The ship sets sail five days after the marathon and cruises to San Juan, Puerto Rico, Barbados, St. Lucia, St. John's, St. Thomas and then back to Puerto Rico."
"Now that sounds like fun," Angela said. "Are you going on the cruise?"
"Who are you?" Trina, Jesse's daughter, who was also helping out with registration, interrupted the flow of their conversation.
"Trina, this is my friend Angela." Jesse introduced her. "Angela, my daughter, Trina."
"Hey." Trina looked at Angela suspiciously as she protectively hugged her father.
"Hello. I've heard so much about you, Trina," Angela said.
"Well, I haven't heard about you, so stay away from my daddy. He's not interested."
"Trina, that's not nice." Jesse got on her about her bad manners. "Go help Regina over at the other tent." Jesse unlatched Trina from her embrace. Trina whined about having to leave, but she did.
"I'm sorry about that. She's a little overprotective of me."
"Yeah, just a little. I can understand why."
"Well, I'm glad you're here. Now you need to head over to the table across the field. You're going to run three miles today and be timed so that we can determine which group you'll be in."
"What if I want to be in your group?" Angela toyed with Jesse.
"You'd better get on out of here before you get yourself in trouble," Jesse teased her.
"Okay," Angela said before turning and heading across the field.
Angela listened as one of the running coaches instructed her on how to stretch properly to prepare her body to run three miles. Once this was done, she, along with several other runners, were shown the three-mile course they had to run. Angela went to the starting line with a group, and when the whistle blew, she began. She tried to keep pace with the fast runners but quickly learned that she couldn't compete with individuals who had more training and experience than her. She slowed down and shuffled along at a pace that was comfortable for her. Her pride was bruised a little because everyone seemed to be passing her by. At the one-mile mark, her thighs began to tighten up.
"Damn, girl, you are completely out of shape," she said to herself as she stopped to stretch. She began running once again and before long her left calf muscle began to tighten up. After that, her back began to ache. Angela slowed down and began to walk.
"Come on, girl, don't stop." A silver-haired woman offered words of encouragement as she zoomed by. "Keep it moving."
"Hell, if she can do it, I know that I can," Angela told herself and began running again. She ran faster than was comfortable and her breathing became labored, and once again she had to stop running and start walking. Angela was now at mile two and was practically exhausted.
"I know that I am not this far out of shape," she told herself. "I'm not overweight but I certainly feel like I am." Once Angela caught her breath, she began to run once again. As she approached the finish line, a gathering of runners stood there to cheer her on. Angela crossed the finish line and was given her time and the group she'd be running with. She leaned forward and rested her hands on her knees. She looked down the lane at the other runners coming and said, "At least I wasn't last."
After the three-mile run, Angela went and soaked in her whirlpool. While there, she received a phone call from Jesse.
"How are you doing?" he asked.
"Everything hurts and nothing works," Angela complained.
"Give yourself time. It was the first day," Jesse said.
"I don't know if I can do this. Some old lady passed me by," Angela said, adjusting her position in the water so that the pressure from the water jets concentrated on a particular area.
"That's one of the things that you shouldn't do. Never compare yourself to another runner."
"Well, you're going to have to teach me all of this stuff because I don't know it. All I know is that my body is aching right now and I'm having second thoughts."
"I
am
going to help you. I'll be the running coach for your group this year," Jesse informed her. "So that means we'll be spending a lot of time together."
"Okay. I'll hang with you for a little while but you'd better not make me hurt myself."
"Oh, if I make you hurt yourself, you're going to enjoy the sweet pain that I put on you." Jesse decided to give Angela something to think about.
By the time mid-June had arrived, Angela had been training with Jesse's running club for eight weeks. She'd learned so much during that time period and could feel herself getting stronger with each run. She learned about the proper clothing to wear, she learned how to pace herself and she'd met several other women who were sharing their journey with her. It was just the thing that Angela needed to keep herself going and to keep herself from getting depressed. And an extra bonus was that she'd lost several pounds.
"Today we're going to run ten miles," Jesse said to his group of runners. "We're going to keep the pace nice and smooth and we're going to take our time. It's going to be hot, so make sure that you have plenty of water with you."
Angela was nervous about running so far because she'd never done it before. Jesse gave out a few more instructions before the group began its journey. Angela put on her headphones and listened to the music she'd downloaded to her iPod. At the halfway point, the group took a water break.
"How are you feeling?" Jesse came up to Angela. She studied him for a long moment. He was so sexy to her. His succulent lips, strong arms and sexy legs were making her hot. Running behind him, looking at his magnificent legs, was driving her crazy. She wanted to do Jesse, but wasn't ready to let him know that.
"Why are you looking at me?" Jesse whispered so that no one would hear but her.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Angela teased.
"Don't write a check your ass can't cash." It was obvious to Angela that Jesse was just as attracted to her as she was to him.
"And you'd better be sure you can handle this when the time comes," Angela said and put her headphones back on.
Angela had already made up her mind that she wanted to be intimate with him. Over the past eight weeks, they'd gone out on several dates and thoroughly enjoyed each other's company. Angela felt good about dating Jesse. He was supportive of her, he listened to her and he didn't place any pressure on her. She liked Jesse's intelligence as well as his drive to succeed. The other quality about Jesse that stood out was his integrity. He was surrounded by women who would have dropped their panties and spread their legs for him in a heartbeat, but he wasn't driven by wild lust the way Will was.