Rock Hard Envy - Part 2 (8 page)

~~~

“I would have
beat her ass!” Josie said when I got home and told her about everything. The idea seemed childish, but quite satisfying, nevertheless. Great! Now instead of fantasizing about having sex with James, I was imagining punching Sylvia in the face.

“Too late now.
Why didn’t you suggest it earlier?” I replied playfully. Josie laughed.

“You know, my brothers know people. Just say the word and…,” Josie said leaving the obvious unsaid.

“I’m not sure I’m ready to put out a hit on her, but thanks,” I told Josie and she winked at me. I wasn’t sure if she was being serious or not and I didn’t want to know. I wondered again if it was wise leaving James alone after Sylvia’s vague threat. I still felt as if she was just lashing out, but who knew for sure? James could have had any woman he wanted and I’d seen a few who obviously would drop their clothes and service him if he’d asked. He was a rock star and that came with the territory. But those fans and groupies weren’t staying in his house and weren’t his ex-wife.

I felt helpless. I couldn’t babysit James and I hadn’t been successful in convincing James that Sylvia might mean trouble. Honestly, I hadn’t been all that forceful in my complaints. However, it did bother me that James had dismissed my concerns so easily. Maybe I should have been more assertive but I didn’t want to force James to choose between a
woman that he used to love and me, a woman he had yet to express those feelings for. I wanted to believe James would choose me, but I wasn’t so sure. I know that was my problem, my insecurities, more than anything but that didn’t make them go away.

“I’m going to bed, Josie. This had been a long ass day,” I told her and she wished me goodnight. I was sure I’d be up for hours thinking about Sylvia and Vicky despite how tired I was but my weariness overcame my worries and I was asleep before I knew it.

~~~

The next morning I saw Josie off to work after making her breakfast, the least I could do since I
wasn’t technically employed at the moment. After she left, I took my time getting ready. I didn’t really have anything important to do. I had a few chores to take care of, but nothing pressing. It was more about getting away from Sylvia. I was about to sit down, pay some bills and balance my checkbook when my phone lit up. It was a text from James.

Miss U. Taking a break latr. B home at 4. Come see me.

That made me smile and I replied that I would. Sylvia and her threat had been in the back of my mind all morning and having a chance to see James and keep her away from him helped me feel better. James was practicing with the band at their studio near Venice Beach. With the tour starting in a few weeks, they had a lot of work to do. I was glad he was thinking about me even though he had a lot to do. I left my apartment at three, glad to have an excuse to get out of my apartment after a day of dealing with my personal finances.

I arrived at James’ house in Malibu about an hour later. I walked in and searched the house for James, but he was nowhere to
be found. His truck was there but he had other vehicles, though he rarely drove them. I wound up in his office and was about to call him to see if he was on his way or somewhere about the house when I noticed Sylvia out in the pool. As per James’ rule, she was nude. Damn, why couldn’t she have been ugly or wrinkly? Sure, it was mostly phony but she was still stunning. Curves where a girl should have them and flat where a girl should be.

She dove into the pool and came to the surface near the center of the pool. It looked as if she was talking to someone. I went to the window and from there I could see James, or at least the top of his head, as he lounged near the edge of the pool. That was disturbing enough, James swimming with his naked ex-wife, but then Sylvia swam over to him and was mere inches away. I looked on in horror as she draped her arms around his neck and kissed him. She lingered for a while before pulling away. She was laughing. The room went black for a moment and then I ran from the house as fast as I could.

I didn’t even make it out past the front gate that led to the street before I was crying. I could barely form a coherent thought but my mind screamed, “Why?” over and over again. I drove blindly, picking my way through Malibu and then onto the freeway. I was halfway home before I even realized it. I found my off-ramp and then at the bottom of the ramp, I ran a red light. I never even saw it. However, the horn and squealing tires of the concrete truck woke me from my haze just in time to brace myself. The truck swerved but still hit my little car and everything went black.

~9~

“What the fuck are you doing, Sylvia?” James said as she swam away from him laughing.

“Oh, come off it, James.
Remember how hot it used to be? Damn, we had some good times. Remember the threesomes? You used to love watching me eat another girl’s pussy. You got so horny when I did that,” Sylvia replied.

“I was drunk most of time,” James said. He swam over to the steps but as he ascended them, Sylvia was there. She grabbed James’ hand and pulled.

“Don’t be this way. What that girl doesn’t know won’t hurt her. Just once for old times’ sake?” Sylvia offered but James tugged his hand free and went to grab his towel. He covered himself and turned to his ex-wife.

“Get out! Simone told me you were playing games and I didn’t listen. I trusted you. I thought you were a friend,” James told her. Sylvia only laughed and climbed from the pool as the water drained from her naked body.

“Jesus, don’t tell me you have feelings for her. She’s not your style, James,” Sylvia said as she approached James. He backed away but his eyes flared with anger.

“How the fuck would you know what I want? You left me when I needed you most. When things got tough, you weren’t there and I
was left to fend for myself. Did you visit me in rehab other than to try and get me to leave? Did you even care what was happening to me? I believed all your bullshit. It used to bother me that you and I failed. Now I can see it was the best thing that ever happened to me,” James said and Sylvia looked shaken at his words.

“Fuck you, James! I never stopped loving you. I want the old James back. You’ve changed and it’s not for the better. It could have been wonderful but you had to go and get sober and serious. Then you left me with nothing,” Sylvia replied. In that moment, the pity James felt for Sylvia faded. He saw her for who she really was, a woman that would have him on her terms. She didn’t care that James’ drinking was killing him. She wanted that James back no matter what it might cost him. James saw that all she cared about was getting what she wanted.

She had received a generous settlement from the divorce, even more than the prenuptial agreement stipulated, but James knew Sylvia had blown through that a long time ago. After the divorce, she continued the destructive lifestyle they had shared and now she could no longer afford it. James couldn’t be sure, but he suspected that’s why she was here. To get money, but not from him. He suspected something much more sinister.

“I stopped loving you a long time ago, Sylvia. I don’t even like you anymore. Get out of my house and get out of my life. Don’t make me sic my lawyers on you,” James demanded. Sylvia didn’t look pained, however. She looked angry.

“You want to know something? I used your phone to text that mousy bitch. She was here a few minutes ago. I saw her in your office. She saw you kiss me and I saw the look on her face. It was classic,” Sylvia said and bit her lip as if saying it gave her some kind of pleasure. James grabbed her by the neck and his other hand formed a fist, which he drew back and held there shaking. “You going to hit me? That would be even better,” Sylvia said and Sylvia’s eyes darted involuntarily away. James let go, suddenly feeling as if they were being watched or, more likely, photographed.

“You better be gone when I get back,” was all James said as he left Sylvia alone. Once inside, James called the Malibu Police and asked them to keep an eye on his house. They were very sensitive to the needs
of their many famous citizens. He dressed quickly and left, his truck growling and his tires squealing. It echoed his own anger and frustration. Most of all, however, James was disappointed. Disappointed at his own failure to listen to the woman he loved and to protect their relationship. Damn, he wanted a drink but James knew that was just noise. He didn’t heed the desire to drown his problems, however. Instead, he was going to fix them once and for all but even now, James had no idea what he faced.

~~~

I woke up as the paramedic eased me down from my seatbelt and onto the roof of my car. It took a moment for me to realize my little car was upside down in the middle of the road. Broken glass was everywhere and a concrete truck loomed over the scene. “What happened?” I asked.

“You were in an accident,” the woman told me. Another man dressed in dirty clothes was nearby asking about me. I remembered suddenly. I ran a red light and the concrete truck hit me. It swerved at the last second but couldn’t avoid my little Ford Fiesta and sent it spinning. That’s all I remembered about the crash, but the memory of Sylvia and James burned brightly in my mind. The paramedic had me sit up as she examined me.

“You’re lucky. Just a few scratches and bruises. Any pain, dizziness, anything?” she asked.

“No, I think I’m OK,” I replied as I did a quick assessment of my body. She helped me to my feet and towards the ambulance. She sat me on the back and covered me with a blanket even though it was at least eighty degrees. Then I heard a loud screech and turned to see James’ big, black pickup skid to a stop at the bottom of the ramp. He jumped from the cab, rushed towards my car and not finding me, he looked around frantically. Then he saw me and I could see the relief wash over him. He ran to me and knelt in front of me.

“Are you OK?” he asked as he took my hands in his.

“I’ll live,” I said not sure how to feel. I was glad to see him on one hand but the memory of that kiss tore at me.

“Is she really OK?” James asked the paramedic and she assured him that I appeared to be fine for the most part.

“Would you two like a moment? We need to take her to the hospital for a thorough examination, but there’s no big rush,” the paramedic asked.

“Please,” James answered. She walked away and James hugged me close before he spoke. “I know what you saw. I swear it wasn’t what you think. She set us up. Sylvia sent you the text message and she knew you were there. She did it all so you would see,” James explained. I was surprised to hear it but that sounded like Sylvia. However, it didn’t make me feel any better.

“I believe you, James, but there’s more to it. I warned you about her. I told you my fears and you ignored them. You invited that woman into our house. You chose her over me,” I said and I could see the pain and regret in his eyes.

“I’m so sorry, little girl. You’re right. This is all my fault. But she’s gone now and I won’t let anything come between us ever again. You’re all that matters, Simone. You’re my world. I made a mistake. Can you ever forgive me?” James said and his eyes filled with tears he somehow managed to choke back. I wanted to be mad. I wanted to make him pay for his mistakes. But most of all, I wanted him to hold me and make it all better.

“I don’t know,” I said and his eyes begged forgiveness. “You kind of owe me a car now,” I said and he looked at me utterly perplexed but when I smiled and tugged on his beard, he wrapped his arms around me and buried his head against my chest. I stroked his hair and held him. Finally, James looked up
at me, his eyes red and a single tear streaked down one cheek.

“I know I fucked up. But I don’t think Sylvia is the worst of our problems,” James said but the paramedic told us it was time to go. James wanted to follow me, but I told him to go and tell Josie what
had happened before she saw the carnage on the news. He reluctantly agreed and promised to bring her to the hospital. “I’ll never let anything happen to you, I promise. I just need to hear it. Please tell me everything is OK. Tell me you forgive me,” James pleaded.

“I do. I forgive you. I can’t be mad at you even though you’re a little dense,” I teased. James smiled and kissed me. He watched as the paramedics took me into the ambulance. He stood there watching as we pulled away. I had to forgive him. He did bring Sylvia into our lives, but I know he did it as a friend to her. She had betrayed us both and now it sounded as if things might be worse than I knew. I couldn’t imagine what that could mean, but it seemed par for the course. The immediate threat to James and I might be gone, but I knew that something bigger lurked just beyond our vision and that scared me.

It was almost ten o’clock by the time we made it back to James’ house. He insisted I stay with him and invited Josie to stay too. Despite the drama, she was eager to see the rock star’s mansion that she’d heard so much about. Josie was duly impressed. This was not one of my better days, but when Monica stopped by with a big container of mac and cheese from James’ steakhouse, I forget about all of it. Monica stayed to check in on me before she excused herself and went home. James thanked her and then dished up the still steaming treat for Josie and me. Josie looked like she had an orgasm when she took a bite.

“You thought I was exaggerating, didn’t you?” I said.

“Oh my God! This is fantastic,” Josie said. We chowed down on the creamy delight, both of us famished. Neither of us had eaten since lunch. When we were done, I was stuffed, happy and tired. James and I showed Josie to one of the spare bedrooms. She hugged me tight before we left her. “I’m so glad you’re OK,” she told me. Josie was a good friend, way beyond just a simple roommate. I was lucky to have her in my life.