Insecurity and a Bottle of Merlot (4 page)

They climaxed together in a frenzy of lust and love. Neither of them had ever experienced passion this intense before. The sweat glistened on their bodies as they lay spent in each other’s arms.

“I love you, honey, and can’t wait to make you my wife.”

She smiled and kissed him, tasting the sweat that beaded on his upper lip. She licked it off and kissed him again. “I never knew it before, but you’re all I’ve ever wanted,” she said, as she fell asleep in his arms.

***

Mia called the girls to set up a Tuesday lunch date. She needed to tell them to be careful. She didn’t have evidence yet that Jack was the person who entered her house, but her instincts told her she was right. Mia wasn’t sure if Jack knew where Karen lived or not. Thankfully he had no idea Sasha was staying right in Tarrytown. The thought of him prowling around, could send Sasha over the edge. Everyone needed to be cautious and watch their backs. Mia asked Aaron to join them for lunch. Mia told Vic about her relationship with Aaron already. Now it was time for the others to be told too. For now, Aaron was staying at Mia’s house anyway. They agreed to meet at Amelia’s at noon. Mia and Aaron were waiting when everyone showed up. Tina and Karen were surprised to see them together in public, even though it was just a matter of time. Vic snickered and grinned.

“What’s this about?” Tina asked, laughing. “Can I say it’s about damn time, and I love you both?” She air kissed Mia and Aaron, as she sat down.

Aaron blushed, stood up and introduced himself to Sasha, since she hadn’t formally met him yet. Vic hugged him, then gave him fair warning. “You mess with my girl, Mia, and you’ll have me to answer to, mister.”

Sasha looked scared. The others broke out laughing and explained that Aaron had been one of them since elementary school.

“We’re just goofing around, Sasha. Aaron loves Mia to death and always has.”

“Oh good. I wasn’t sure what was going on. One freaky guy is enough for me.”

“Speaking of freaks, we wanted to talk to all of you about Jack. There’s no proof yet, but I’m pretty sure he’s the one with my house key. I’m almost positive he came in Sunday when I was walking Reggie.”

“Oh no, now what?” Karen asked.

“Well, first off, Aaron and I went out Sunday afternoon and bought a spy cam. It’s already installed in the bushes right by the front door. We have to catch Jack doing something wrong before we can press charges. Karen, does he know where you live?”

“No, thank God. He probably thinks I live in the city somewhere,” Karen said, sounding relieved.

“Good. I doubt if he has any clue you’re in Tarrytown, Sasha. Not to sound mean, but Jack would naturally assume this town is beneath you and your standards.”

“I guess that’s good for me, but I love my new town,” she said.

“We know you do, hon. I want all of you to be careful. Luckily, Jack didn’t see Vic or Tina that Friday night, so I think you guys are fine. Until this is resolved, Aaron is staying at my house. The app for the camera video feed can go on five different devices. I have one, and Aaron does too. I want Sasha, Karen and either Tina or Vic to download the app on their phones. Since you guys are at the salon together most of the day, it doesn’t matter to me which phone it’s on. We can all keep our eyes peeled. As long as Jack doesn’t have a job, he can come and go as he pleases. He could be watching me any time, day or night.”

“That’s so scary, it gives me chills,” Sasha said.

“It will be okay. At the rate he’s going, we’ll probably catch him this week. Let’s order lunch and get on a happier topic, like the wedding. I’m sure Vic wants to tell us all about it,” Mia said, winking at her.

“That’s right, Chica, and do I have a lot to tell.” It was apparent by the glow on Vic’s face, she was smitten with Max Cole. “He is so hot, and we had such a good time. We stayed until the reception was over. Oh yeah, get this. I caught the bouquet and Max caught the garter. That has to be a sign, doesn’t it? I mean, what are the odds? Next Saturday we’re going on a motorcycle ride to Rhinebeck. Cool huh?”

“That’s awesome. Maybe soon you can introduce Max to Aaron. We can all hang out together on weekends and have parties. Good times, right?”

“You bet, Mia. Max and Aaron would get along great.”

“Well that sounds good to me. Plus I make killer bar-be-cue chicken on the grill,” Aaron reminded them.

Chapter Six

Thursday morning arrived with much needed rain. Gray skies lingered overhead, and the sound of distant thunder rumbled. Mia and Aaron were burrowed deep under the blankets, sound asleep. She jumped from the noise at the foot of the bed.

“Damn it, Reggie, you scared the crap out of me.” Reggie whined anxiously. He scratched at the blankets to get Mia up. “Really? Great timing. It’s raining like a son of a gun and you have to go outside? Fine, I’m up.”

“Babe, I can walk Reggie, I don’t mind. What time is it anyway?”

“It’s seven o’clock, Aaron. You can sleep for another hour.” She kissed him and gave his shaft a teasing stroke.

“You’re the devil in disguise,” he moaned, as his erection began to grow.

“No can do, mister,” she squealed, as Aaron tried to pull her back into bed. “Reggie’s going to pee on the floor.”

“I’ll clean it up, I promise,” he pleaded.

“Go back to sleep, you goof. I’ll be back in fifteen minutes.”

“Naw, I’m awake now. I’ll start the coffee, then you can start me when you get back,” he said, with that gorgeous grin.

“What am I going to do with you? Never mind, it’s already obvious.” Mia slid the rain jacket over her head and grabbed an umbrella. She put the leash on Reggie’s collar and they bolted out into the morning downpour.

Aaron slipped on his sweats and stumbled sleepily into the kitchen to make coffee. He hadn’t poured the water into the coffeemaker yet when he heard the front door open.
Wow, Reggie really had to go
. He reached in the cabinet and pulled out two coffee cups, placing them on the counter. Aaron turned, expecting Mia and Reggie to come around the corner. Their eyes locked on each other, their bodies froze where they stood. Instincts told Jack to run. Instincts told Aaron to chase him. Aaron grabbed Jack by the arm and wrestled him to the floor in the foyer. They threw wild punches at each other until one of Aaron’s connected, tearing into Jack’s lip. Jack was cornered against the wall, giving him little opportunity to escape.

“C’mon Reggie, hurry up. You’re soaked and I am too. Just go to the bathroom already.” Reggie finally did his business, and as Mia rounded the last corner to go home, it sat parked in front of her. Jack’s BMW was along the curb a block and a half from her front door. “Oh God, no. Hurry, Reggie, let’s go home.” Mia ran as fast as she could with Reggie leading the way. She reached the sidewalk and threw open the front door to find Aaron and Jack in the foyer. Jack was cornered, sitting against the wall with Aaron hovering above him, blocking the only exit.

“Mia, wait in the kitchen and hang on to Reggie. I’ve already called the police,” Aaron said, anxiously.

“You bitch! You ruined my life. My career is gone because of you. You’re gonna pay, I swear to God you’ll be sorry,” Jack yelled toward the kitchen where Mia paced.

“Shut the hell up, Jack, or I’ll shut your mouth myself,” Aaron spewed.

“No, Aaron, let me take care of this,” Mia said, as she furiously stormed toward Jack. “You’ve been a piece of shit and wasted three years of my life. You treated me like dirt, and cheated on me the entire time. All I ever wanted was to be happily married and have a family. You made sure that would never happen. You’re cruel and arrogant. You’re nothing but a loser, always have been, and always will be. The only thing you deserve is this.” Mia wound up and slapped Jack across the face as hard as she could. His cheek welted red immediately.

“Don’t even try it,” Aaron said, as Jack started to get up.

The blaring sound of sirens got closer. Two squad cars pulled up in front of Mia’s house. Officers Lenard and Owens of the Tarrytown police department came inside. “Mia, Jack, Aaron, what’s going on here?” Officer Owens asked.

Mia explained she and Jack were divorcing and how she changed all the locks on the doors. Jack somehow sneaked in and stole her spare house key. He trespassed on a number of occasions already, plus he threatened her. She wanted to press charges against him, and she also wanted an order of protection filed.

“Jack, empty your pockets,” Officer Lenard said. Jack did, and on his own key ring was Mia’s spare house key. “Okay, let’s go. We’re taking you downtown for booking. Mia and Aaron, you need to come along and give your statements. Mia, you’ll have to sign some paperwork.” The officer handcuffed Jack’s hands behind his back, read him his rights, and took him away.

“Oh my God, Aaron, I’m so relieved you’re okay,” Mia said, her voice trembling. “I saw Jack’s car parked a few blocks away and could only imagine the worst.”

“It’s okay now, honey,” Aaron said, as he held her and stroked her hair. “Where did you get such a good arm? Holy cow, woman, you really wound up on that one.” He shook his head in amazement.

“You don’t remember high school? The girls’ softball team went to the state finals. I was the pitcher.”

“What am I going to do with you?”

“I’ll show you tonight,” she said, teasingly. “Right now it looks like we have to make a statement. What are you going to do about the shop?”

“I’ll call my dad. He can open this morning and take care of things for a few hours. Let’s go and get this over with.”

Jack was booked and had to sit in jail awaiting his hearing. Mia was relieved. The restraining order was signed and if Jack violated it, he would be back in jail. Mia hoped it would all end soon and Jack would get on with his life somewhere else.

***

The process downtown took several hours. Red tape seemed to drag things out. Aaron was finally allowed to leave the police station and go to work at ten-thirty.

“I guess they’re done with me. Stop by the shop later if you aren’t busy, okay?”

“Sure, Aaron. I’m going to call Karen and see if she and Sasha want to have lunch. I’ll stop by after that. I love you. Thanks for protecting me. I don’t know if Jack would have done anything or not, but I’m glad you were there. You’re my hero.”

“I like the sound of that. Can you drop me off at the shop, or do I have to walk in this downpour?”

“Let me see if they’re finished with me. Yep, we can go. Let’s get the heck out of here.”

Mia dropped Aaron off at the front door of his shop. The senior Mr. Daniels stood behind the counter helping a customer.

“I guess we’ll have to tell your dad what’s going on pretty soon,” Mia said, as Aaron exited the car. She gave him a kiss and drove back home. She entered the kitchen and stared. The carafe filled with water sat on the counter. Two coffee cups waited for the hot brew that never happened
.
It was like time stopped. Mia exhaled with a sigh.
What a crazy morning.
I need some decent coffee instead the garbage at the police station.
She poured four cups of water into the reservoir and two heaping scoops of Starbuck’s Columbian Roast, into the filter. Two slices of raisin bread were dropped into the toaster. She sat at the table and nibbled while she called Karen.

“Hey, Mia, what’s up?” Karen asked.

“You wouldn’t even believe it. Are you busy today? I was thinking about lunch. I want to invite Sasha too.”

“That’s a nice gesture. I think she would enjoy getting to know you and me better. It doesn’t always have to include Tina and Vic. Sasha has to be comfortable with just the two of us.”

“That’s what I think too. Do you want to come here or should we come to Greenwich?”

“Sasha has never been to my house. There’s some great restaurants downtown. Come here, okay? How about twelve-thirty?”

“Sounds great. Is it raining there?”

“It was earlier, but it looks like it’s breaking up. I see blue sky now.”

“Good, that should make for a nicer day. I’ll pick up Sasha and we’ll see you in a few hours. Bye, Karen.”

“Bye, hon.”

Mia called Sasha as she washed down the last bite of cinnamon raisin toast with coffee.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Sasha. Do you want to have lunch with Karen and me today?”

“But it’s Thursday. I thought we only got together on Tuesdays when the salon was closed, or when we all had lunch together.”

“Honey, I don’t want you to be embarrassed around Karen and me. We can have lunch whenever we want, even when Vic and Tina aren’t with us. We’re all friends, remember?”

“I know, but my guilty conscience takes over sometimes.”

“That will go away. It’s just been a few weeks. We’re good… really. All of us are better off without Jack in our lives. We did each other a favor.”

“If you look at it that way, I do feel better. Okay, let’s do lunch.”

“That’s my girl. I’ll pick you up at noon. We’re going to Greenwich. Cool huh? You can see where Karen lives.”

“That sounds exciting. I’ll see you at noon. Mia?”

“Yes, Sasha.”

“Thank you for forgiving me, and being my friend.”

“Stop it before I start crying. I’ll honk when I’m outside. See you soon. Out.”

Mia noticed a group of newspaper stands along the front of the grocery store a few minutes from Tina’s house. She pulled in and parked her car. She grabbed three Realtor magazines to give Sasha. It was time to go house hunting now that Sasha accepted the offer on her apartment. They would all pitch in together and help her find a place in Tarrytown. It would be fun looking for the perfect house in a great neighborhood. Sasha needed to tell them what she liked. Would the style be modern or vintage? Did she want a house or a condo?
We can talk about it while we drive to Karen’s house. I wonder if Karen has ever thought about moving to Tarrytown now that we’re all friends. Greenwich is so expensive.
Mia pulled into the driveway and beeped the horn twice. Sasha looked amazing. She would be beautiful wearing a burlap bag.
How does she do it?
Mia wondered.
Must be good genes.
Sasha jumped into the passenger seat looking extremely pleased.