Authors: Vera Roberts
“Wait a minute,” Jeff put down his drink, “are you saying the Great Disaster had something to do with it?”
Scott looked up at the starry sky above him. He knew something was off when he had seen Caprina was at Mariana’s desk the first time he spotted her. His first intuition was correct; that bitch couldn’t be trusted. Still, even if Caprina did mess with the budget, it would look really bad on Scott’s part to accuse her of doing so without concrete evidence. “I know she did.”
“Dude, you know the Great Disaster still wants that Southern Hospitality, don’t you?” Jeff egged on. “And now that you two are working together…spending long hours together…you know what she’s going to do next, right?”
Scott thought about the Vegas incident. “She’s already attempted.”
“I knew it!” Jeff nodded.
“I have absolutely no desire to dip my dick in her,” Scott defended.
“It’s not just your dick she wants, playa,” Jeff said, “it’s this right here.” He pointed to Scott’s temple.
Scott briefly closed his eyes to remove the mental image of Mariana crying in his office earlier. It was the second time he’d seen her cry, and he was the cause for both occasions. He felt like the biggest asshole on the planet. “I told Mari we need to split up for a while.”
“Let me guess,” Jeff deadpanned, “she didn’t like that idea?”
“I think the Great Disaster going to do something more to Mari, and I need to get Mari out of the way.” Scott had a bad feeling long before Sanora mentioned a word to him. “If Mariana is not in the picture, the Great Disaster can’t mess with her.”
“Do you really think the Great Disaster would go after Mari like that?” Jeff asked and Scott shot him a disbelieving look. “All right, my bad, stupid question. So here’s a smart one for you: what are
you
going to do about it?”
Scott thought about his past relationship with Caprina. In a few circles, he was still known as the sucker who got dumped on an international level. Once he got his vengeance on her, he would forgive her. Unbeknownst to Scott, the day was just around the corner—courtesy of Sanora. “It’s being handled.”
****
“This is a nice car, B.,” Mariana looked around in the comfortable convertible. It had leather seats and the top was down. She was enjoying feeling the breeze on her face. It temporarily relieved her of any stress.
“Yeah, it’s no
Mercedes
like you drive, but it’s a nice starter vehicle,” B. winked.
Mariana relaxed in the seat as Coltrane serenaded her. “Starter vehicle, huh? So what are your ambitions?”
“I have so many things I want to do. Right now, I DJ on the weekends but eventually I just want to be known as the best DJ in the world. DJ Sugah Bear. I want people to think of DJ Sugah Bear when they hear the Guettas, the VanBuurens, etc.”
“DJ Sugah Bear, huh?” Mariana smiled. “You sound like a cuddly pimp.”
“Pimpin’ain’t easy.” He pulled up to the valet. “Well, we’re here. Have you ever been to this place?”
Mariana got out of the car and looked up at the bold, black lettering on the door in front of her. “EMK? No. I wanted to but never had the chance.”
“You’ll love it,” B. grabbed Mariana’s hand. “Let’s go inside.”
The lounge was already crowded and Mariana felt herself becoming lost in the crowd. She grabbed B.’s hand so she wouldn’t be left behind.
****
Jacob was talking to an employee when he spotted Mariana enter the lounge. She was holding hands with B. “Oh, shit,” Jacob whispered, “excuse me.” He walked over to Scott. “Ice, we got a situation.” He motioned over to Mariana.
Scott looked up and saw Mariana and B. being seated. B. was holding Mariana’s hand. The waitress handed them their menus and talked the specials with them. “Is that right?” He felt his heart thump through his chest.
“Ice, Ice, Ice,” Jacob got in front of him as Jeff held back his best friend, “Ice, listen to me. That could mean anything, all right? He could just be a friend.”
“I’m fine,” Scott put down his drink and managed a smile, “I’m fine. I’ll be right back.” He left for Mariana’s table.
****
“B., this place is amazing!” Mariana looked all over. “How did you manage to get in here?”
“I know people who know people who know people,” B. was intentionally vague. “You like it?”
“I love it!” Mariana secretly wished Scott had taken her there before B. did. “I really love it.”
“I hope you do,” Scott interrupted, “I know the owner. I’ll send him your regards.”
“Scott, hi.” Mariana felt her cheeks turning red. Embarrassment and worry shot up and down her spine. “Scott, this is my friend, Bernard. Bernard, this is Scott. He’s my…”
“Boss,” Scott shook B.’s hand, “pleasure to meet you.”
Mariana felt her stomach twist in knots. Scott intentionally didn’t say
boyfriend
.
“Likewise, sir,” B. nodded.
“I don’t mean to interrupt your date here.” Scott smiled.
“It’s not a date,” Mariana corrected, but it was too late. The worst was yet to come.
“Oh, I don’t know. Candle light, soft music, and a
cozy
, intimate table,” Scott mentioned, “it looks like a date to me.” His demeanor was warm, but his eyes told a different story to Mariana. “Nevertheless, I’ll leave you two kids alone. In fact, when you’re done, send your check over to me. I’ll pay for it.”
“That is mighty nice of you, Scott. I’ll take you up on your offer,” B. smiled.
“Sure thing. Have a great evening, Bernard,” Scott nodded. He then turned his attention to his girlfriend. “Mariana.”
Catching Mariana in the act wasn’t just good enough for Scott. He was hell-bent on humiliating her. His plan worked. “I’ll catch you later, Scott.” Mariana quietly replied.
Scott walked back to Jeff, who stood watching everything from afar. “So what was that about?”
“She claims it’s not a date,” Scott nursed his Glenlivet.
“And you don’t believe her?” Jacob asked.
“Actually, I do.” Scott remembered the embarrassment in Mariana’s eyes. It wasn’t indicative of someone who cheating on him.
“So what are you going to do about it?” Jeff asked.
“What I should’ve done a long time ago,” Scott looked back over at Mariana, who was now staring at him, “and let it go.”
S
IX
B. pulled up to Mariana’s house and turned off the engine. “Did you have fun tonight?”
Despite Scott’s surprise appearance, Mariana had had a good time. She and B. had had a wonderful conversation and talked about so many things. They had a lot in common, and he introduced her to new music. If she hadn’t already been attached to Scott, she could see herself dating B. “Yes, I did. Did you?”
“I did,” B. nodded. He turned towards Mariana. “Listen, I know you’re not trying to date anyone, and I respect that. But I would like to be your friend.”
“I would like that,” Mariana smiled. “I would like that a lot.”
“I’m sure your boyfriend would like that as well.” B. smiled.
“My what?”
B. gave Mariana a disbelieving look. “I know that wasn’t your boss paying for our meal now.”
Mariana conceded. “Well, he is my boss…”
B. put a finger to Mariana’s lips. “Go home and patch things up with your man. Call me whenever you want to see a movie or whatever. And don’t forget to stop by Starbucks. I love seeing your beautiful face, darling.”
Mariana leaned over and gave B. a kiss on the cheek. “You will make one lucky lady very happy one day.”
“Oh, I know,” B. winked. He kissed Mariana’s hand. “I’ll see you around, Mari.”
“I’ll see you around, B.” She left his car and watched him drive off. Mariana turned and faced her house. Scott wasn’t home yet. She didn’t want to face him when he did arrive. There was no telling what he was going to do.
***
Scott woke up to a pair of eyes staring at him. “Whatcha doing, Uncle Scott?” Four-year-old Ethan smiled at him.
Scott furiously rubbed his eyes and sat up in bed. “I was sleeping, Ethan,” he grinned.
“Cool!” The little boy hopped off the bed and ran off. “Daddy, Daddy! Uncle Scott’s awake!”
Jeff leaned against the doorway of the guest room. “How did you sleep, partner?”
“Like shit,” Scott shook his head. “I didn’t get much sleep last night.”
“It doesn’t look like you did,” Jeff shrugged. “Has she called?”
“I don’t know,” Scott replied, “I turned off my phone.”
Jeff pursed his lips. “Ooh, bad move, baby.”
“I couldn’t deal with her last night. If I’d dealt with her last night, it would’ve been very bad.” Scott couldn’t predict his reaction, and it was best he stayed away from Mariana, “I’ll deal with her this morning.”
“What do you want out of this?” Jeff asked.
Scott looked out the window. It was bright and sunny with a slight breeze. “Peace.”
Scott left Jeff’s house shortly afterward and returned home. Mariana’s car was parked in the driveway and he pulled up beside hers. He stayed inside his car for a few more minutes, knowing what was about to happen and trying to figure out the best course of action. There was none. Every move he contemplated wouldn’t soften the blow. She deserved more. She deserved better.
He went inside and dropped his keys on the credenza. He walked over to the bar and poured himself a drink. It was only ten in the morning but Scott needed the drink to still his nerves. He could already feel his stomach twisting in knots. He plopped down on the living room sofa and just stared ahead. Mariana would be entering the room shortly to explain herself about events from the night before. And then it was going be an implosion.
“Honey?” Mariana stood at a safe distance from him. She was still in her pajamas. Her face was wracked with pain and she looked as bad as she probably felt.
“Hey,” Scott took a sip.
Mariana slowly walked over to him and sat beside him. “Listen, honey, I know it looked suspicious…last night did…but I swear B. is just a friend! We didn’t get intimate or physical in any way! He was the friend I told you I was going out to dinner with last night, and I just wanted some other company because we’ve been fighting so much lately and things at work are no better, so I just needed to release some steam.
“But Scott, I love you, okay? I love you and I don’t want anything to happen between us. Maybe we should go on vacation or maybe just get away somewhere because all of this tension and stress happening between us. I don’t know, what do you think?” Mariana grabbed Scott’s hand and squeezed it gently. “What do you think, honey?”
Scott took a sip of his drink. He didn’t want to fight with her anymore. He didn’t even know what he wanted anymore. All he knew was he was about to do the biggest dick move in his personal history. But it needed to be done so he could save her. So he could save
them.
His voice was quiet but echoed throughout the room. “I think you should move out.”
S
EVEN
It had only been a week but it was the longest week of Scott’s life.
He went to Chicago to oversee a photo shoot with Revlon and when he came back, Mariana had already moved out. His home—their home—felt barren.
He remembered how she would place her shoes next to his in the foyer. He thought of when Mariana would scrub her feet and give herself her own pedicures. “
I don’t want another chick touching my feet!” she snickered once. “Uh-uh. Charging me twenty dollars when I can do the same thing at home and better!”
He walked through the home and stopped at the stereo in the living room. He came home one day and found her dancing to New Kids on the Block.
“Don’t tease me, bro!” She moved her body to the music as Scott laughed. “This is a jam!”
Scott walked over to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. His thoughts flashed back to when Mariana dropped cookies n’ cream ice cream on his naked body, tracing her tongue on his abs as she licked the sweet flavor off. Scott reciprocated the flavor by spreading a small bit of ice cream on her heat, licking her as she ate.
“Now because I came, it means I just ate empty calories, right?” she breathlessly asked.
Scott slammed the refrigerator shut and hurried to his bedroom to rest. It was the worst place in the home. Memories of Mariana being on her hands and knees, tied up, ball gagged, pleading and begging him to give her that sweet orgasmic release flooded his mind.
“Sir,” Mariana cried out as Scott tickled her clit and fucked her. “Can I please cum?” she begged over and over.
Scott felt his cock harden. It matched the intensity of his broken heart.
Master crawled up to Scott’s lap and laid on him. He briefly looked up at his owner with sad eyes. “Yeah, she’s gone, buddy,” Scott sighed, “but I had to let her go so she wouldn’t get hurt anymore.”
Scott pulled out the engagement ring he had carried in his pocket for the past several weeks and admired the sparkly diamond. He wanted to wait for the right time, the right moment to propose to Mariana. To finally make her his wife and seal their commitment to each other before their friends and families, and God. There had been so many opportunities and none of them had been perfect. It had to be perfect, just like she was for him.
And then the fights had started. They had their minor disagreements like any other couple, but now things were uncomfortably tense. Scott wanted to blame Caprina, but he also knew he was just as responsible for many of the fights. He was cold and heartless. When he questioned her about the budget mistake, Mariana was crying, pouring out her heart and soul, pleading with him to listen and believe her. He had, but it was too late.
And to boot, Scott broke up with Mariana on her birthday. He planned to take her to Catalina for a birthday she would never forget. Scott succeeded in the last action: Mariana would always remember this particular birthday.
Master whimpered and curled next to Scott. “I know. I miss her, too. I’m going to get her back, though,” Scott sighed, “I’ve got to get her back.” He had a thought of someone who could help him.
She has to.
He took out his phone and dialed.
After several rings, the other party answered. “Scott…” Sanora emphasized the S. “What brings this call?”