Inner Circle (3 page)

“Okay, okay.” Eve buried her face in her hands.

“No, I’ma milk this for everything it’s worth. Not only did you apologize, but if I’m not mistaken, didn’t you also say you were wrong and I was right?” Chase laughed. “Here, let’s listen to that part again . . .”

“You better not.” Eve slapped his hand. “I hate when we fight.”

“Me too. But I’ve got to be honest: I’ve really been looking forward to making up.”

Eve shook her head as Chase softly squeezed her hand.

The sun began to set on the 405 Freeway when Eve noticed that Chase was not taking the normal route to his house in Cheviot Hills.

“Babe, where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise.”

“I’m really not up for hanging out tonight, Chase. I was hoping we could just relax. It was such a long flight . . .”

“Shhhh . . .”

Eve tried to relax but couldn’t stop fidgeting in her seat. The last thing she felt like doing was entertaining, especially Chase’s teammates’ phony wives, girlfriends, and baby mamas. But it didn’t take long before they pulled into what appeared to be a new development still undergoing construction. When the truck stopped, Eve looked at a dusty, vacant lot and scrunched her face as she tried to imagine why Chase was bringing her here.

Chase got out of the car, then walked over to Eve’s side and
helped her out. It was a breezy Southern California evening, and she felt a bit chilly. A gust of sea air swirled over the Playa Vista hills. The view of sailboats floating across the orange-dusk-colored marina was breathtaking—literally.

“Chase, what are we doing here, baby? I’m cold.”

“I know, just give me a minute.” He took off his jacket and placed it around Eve’s shoulders. “I need to say something to you.”

Eve noticed the concern in Chase’s eyes. “Baby, are you all right?”

“I wanted to apologize. I need to tell you how sorry I am for . . .”

Eve’s head throbbed with worry about what he was going to say. His words became muffled as her thoughts began to ring in her mind.
He cheated! Son of a bitch,
she thought to herself. She knew better than to date an athlete. And even worse was she’d finally let her guard down, opened herself up, and allowed herself to fall in love with him. She began to tear up. “Stop . . . Oh my God,” she cried. “I can’t breathe.”

“Eve, baby, what’s wrong?” He grabbed her hands.

“Don’t touch me!” She pushed him away, wiping the tears from her eyes. “Please tell me you didn’t bring me here to tell me you’ve done something stupid.”

“Something stupid? . . . Oh, naw, babe.” He laughed. “Nothing like that.”

“Then what is it?” she asked. “You sound so serious.”

“This
is
serious, Eve.” He took her hands again. “I wanted to apologize for how I handled things the last time you were here. I wanted you to know that I heard you. And I promised myself that the next time I brought you out to L.A. and picked you up from the airport that I was going to bring you home. Not to my house, but to
our
home . . . so here we are.”

Eve shook her head. “Chase, what are you talking about?” She looked around at the dusty construction site again.

“I bought this lot. Six-and-a-half acres of land. I didn’t want to do anything major without you.”

“What?” Eve asked, her tears returning.

“I was driving around, and this place just hit me. It felt like home. Our home.”

Speechless, Eve looked into his eyes. She knew he wanted this and that he believed in her, and, more important, that he believed in the possibility of them. It was finally clear to her that his vision was full of the thought of their lives together.

“I love it, Chase!” Tearfully, she hugged him.

“We’re home, Eve.”

The wind whipped around them, interrupting their moment. Chase reached into his pocket, pulling out an eight carat, classic-cut solitaire diamond ring. “I hope you didn’t think the land was it. You know how I do.”

“Oh my God, Chase . . .” Eve was captivated by the flawless pale pink diamond. Goose bumps covered her arms as she took in everything that was transpiring. “I’m no rabbit, but I’m definitely feeling the carats in this ring,” she responded playfully in an attempt to mask her slight fear.

“I love you, Eve. Forgive me for not asking you to marry me properly the last time. Allow me now to get it right now.” Chase got down on one knee. “Eve Vashay Inez, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

Eve’s eyes sparkled as brightly as the ring on her finger. Her body shivered as a wave of emotions rippled through her mind.
Although I’ve met his mother and sisters, how will they feel about accepting me into their family, and did they even know about the proposal? What will this all mean to my career now that I’m going to be his wife? Does this mean he wants to have children right away? The mere thought of motherhood scared her to no end. Speaking of mothers, what will my own mother say? Will she even show up at the wedding?
Eve’s heart and head pounded as she tried to slow down the thoughts that raced through her mind. She searched Chase’s eyes for any signs of doubt but found none. Immediately, she knew that all that really mattered was what she felt for
him in the now as opposed to any fears she’d have in future. Although hesitation remained in her mind, there was no hesitation in her heart.

“Yes, Chase. I’ll marry you.”

The warmth of his lips against hers made Eve forget about the chilling breeze. Just the thought of her life and name changing to complement his excited her. At that moment, every doubt she’d previously had about their love and future together disappeared with her answer of “yes.”

“
That’s
what I needed to hear.” Still with her hand in his, Chase led her back to his truck. Before closing the door, he kissed her forehead and whispered, “You’re not still scared, are you?”

“No,” she responded confidently. As she wiped away her tears, she whispered to him, “Thank you.”

“For what?” he replied.

“You promised to catch me, remember?”

“I remember,” he said with a smile.

“Thank you for keeping your promise.”

Eve parted her mouth, allowing Chase’s tongue to tango with her own. Their lips applauded the dance, sealing the deal and their decision to marry. Eve’s eyes were fixed on Chase as he closed the passenger door and got into the truck. She knew she was making the right decision. As they drove down the hill, Eve gazed at the lights of the city. The hesitation she felt about moving to Los Angeles had suddenly subsided. She trusted Chase to be everything he’d promised her he’d be. Her only wonder was if she could be to him what he’d promised to be to her.

1

Eve
moaned softly as Chase gently massaged her shoulders. Today was their fifth-year anniversary, yet it had been weeks since the last time they’d made love and Chase was eager to get something started. She’d promised him that if he helped her out by giving her a massage, she’d return the favor by giving it to him exactly the way he wanted it.

Her traveling back and forth from one coast to the other twice a week for work had her entire body in knots. Chase made it clear when they got married that if she wanted to keep her job, she’d have to promise never to miss one of his games and to be home at least four nights a week. Keeping that promise had proven to be even more challenging than Eve thought. Maintaining a balance, while juggling her career and home life with only five hours of sleep a day had taken a serious toll on her, especially with Chase’s huge sexual appetite. Part of the reason he required her to be home four nights a week was to satisfy him. Because of their agreement, she could never let on that half the time she was actually either too sore from traveling or too tired from work to enjoy having sex with him.

Although her shoulders were starting to feel a little better, she
knew she couldn’t pull off a sex session with Chase; she was still in far too much pain. The strain from traveling and carrying her bags back and forth left her shoulders and back in great distress, yet she knew better than to make excuses. Eve rolled over on her back, pulling Chase’s shirtless body on top of hers. They exchanged kisses for a moment until she interrupted their foreplay.

“I have something for you.”

“I know,” he said, trying to pull down her panties.

“Not that,” she protested. “I meant a gift.”

“It’s been two weeks. Trust me, you’re gift enough.”

Eve moved his hand away from her crotch. “I’ma hook you up, I promise.” She reached over to the cream-colored marble nightstand and pulled a small box from the drawer.

Chase rolled his eyes as he accepted the gift. Eve knew she had to do something to change his mood because his expression had gone from pleased to pissed in less than sixty seconds. She straddled him, fighting the spasms that flitted up and down her spine. Her fingers caressed his chest as she seductively tried to lighten the mood.

“Do me a favor.”

“What?” he said with a pout.

Eve felt the temperature of his body warm. Slowly she allowed her hips and center to move like a wave against him.

“Say thank you,” she teased.

“What am I thanking you for?” His breathing became heavy.

“Open your gift.”

Eve watched as Chase slowly unwrapped his present. She’d made sure the gift was wrapped with just enough complication that ripping it open wasn’t an option. As Chase tussled with the ribbon, Eve escaped from her panties and placed the fullness of his love inside her. She smiled as she watched him struggle to concentrate.

“Keep going,” she taunted as she gently moved her body back and forth, enjoying the thickness of his love inside her.

Eve laughed as Chase ignored her instructions and ripped the package open, revealing the custom-made diamond encrusted watch she’d bought him. “You like it?” she moaned as she felt her body yielding to the pleasure of their lovemaking.

He tossed the watch to the side and grabbed her hips, forcing a more vigorous movement. “
This
is what I like,” he said, smiling as he moved his hands from her hips to her breasts. “This is what I need.”

Eve kept up with the rhythm of movements Chase directed. Her body became his playground, and like a child, he left no inch untouched. Her moans were both of pleasure and pain as Chase aggressively switched up their positions.

The very thing she loved about being married to an athlete in terms of heightened stamina was the one thing she was beginning to dread. Chase worked out for a living, keeping him in greater shape than the average person who worked a regular job. Yet despite how tired she was on any given occasion, keeping Chase happy sexually was a duty she couldn’t dare take for granted.

Eve had already had her fair share of incidents involving groupies who were always willing, ready, and able to do anything she wasn’t. If Chase liked it orally, Eve took a class. When Chase had a fetish for strippers, Eve had a pole built in the bedroom and took a class. When Chase wanted to experiment with role-playing, Eve bought out a costume store and created her own little trick-or-treat closet to ensure his happiness. She even had a plastic surgeon on speed dial just in case Chase wanted her full Cs to become double Ds.

“Daaaaaaamn!” Chase yelled after he reached his climax. “Baby, you’re the best.”

Eve remained silent and nodded her head. Not only was Chase well endowed, the tightening of her back left her far too sore to speak.

“You all right?” he questioned as he pulled her close.

Eve sat up and used her hands as rollers down her back. Her sigh was the only response that reminded him of her pain.

“Awww, babe, I’m sorry. I completely forgot about your back. Your shit is so bomb that when you give it to me like you do, I guess I just explode. I’ve been missing it, you know.”

“I know, baby. I’ll be all right. I wanted to give you what you wanted. It’s our anniversary.”

“I’ve got something for you too, you know?” He smiled, shifting the sheets back in place.

“Really?”

“It’s a surprise, but trust me, you’re gonna like it.”

“Hopefully more than you liked the watch I just gave you,” she complained. “Baby, you didn’t even look at it.”

Eve watched as Chase retrieved the watch from the nightstand.

“Aw, it’s cool. I like it,” he said, placing it back down, then stuffing his hands between her legs. “I just like this more.”

“You’re impossible,” she laughed.

“So what’s next, breakfast?”

“You expect me to cook?” she asked sarcastically.

“Well, after giving you all this good loving, a brotha sho’ is hungry.”

Eve rolled out of their custom-made California king-sized bed, leaving Chase to rest and reminisce about both the gifts she’d just given him. She knew he had an afternoon practice, which left her just enough time to prepare his favorite breakfast: an egg-white and spinach omelet, blueberry medley protein shake, plus a Chai soy latte to go. Although Chase insisted on hiring a chef for them during the season, Eve took her role as his wife very seriously. She was adamant about being very hands-on in her own house, especially on special occasions.