Personal Possessions (39 page)

“You’re sleepin’ with a
married woman.” She garbled.

I wasn’t about to have
this conversation with her. First off, this was nothing that
concerned her and second off, she was the last person in the
fuckin’ universe that I would talk to about my personal life; true
or untrue. I didn’t change my facial expressions or even glance
away from her when I replied.

“I’m not discussing any of
my details with you, Tash…now get your shit, we’re
leaving.”

“Gonna take me back to
your house so I can meet the bitch who took my place? Maybe that
will be a waste of time since next week there will be
another.”

She finished her smartass
remark by laughing so that everyone that was in the bar could hear.
That comment right there, let me know that whoever she was getting
her information from was not a very thorough source.

Ginger stepped beside the
table and place my glass of Jack down in front of me as well as
another glass in front of Natasha. I wasn’t going to stay here any
longer, so I leaned my head back and filled my mouth with
whiskey.

“This reunion is over,
Tash…you can either come with me and I will get you a hotel room or
take you to a friend’s house to sleep off your self-pity or
else…I’m walking out that door and I will make sure that I never
hear from you again.”

“I know who she is,
Trevor. I know her name is Elleny Jackson and I know that she is a
married woman…” Natasha grabbed her glass off of the table and took
a healthy gulp before she finished. “I wonder what her husband
would think.”

I was furious. I flew out
of that booth and across the table and got as close as I could to
Natasha so that she would understand that I meant business
here.

“I’m gonna say this once
to you, Tash…you’re gonna leave Elle alone. You’re not gonna do
anything, say anything as a matter of fact her name will never
leave your lips again, or I swear to god…”

“Elle? Did you say Elle?”
Natasha whispered.

Her face had changed.
There was no more melodramatic threats of “I’m gonna tell on you”,
this shit just took a turn for the worst. I knew it when suddenly,
she became sober.

“Holy fuckin’ shit! It is
her…isn’t it, THE Elle.” The obnoxious laugh that just happened
five minutes ago was not more maniacal. “Well, well…I think I’ve
stumbled on something here.”

She knew about Elle from
the nightmares I would have. Waking up in the middle of the night
as she laid beside me, hearing me scream Elle’s name…she wasn’t
stupid, as she just proved to me.

I sat back down and rubbed
my hand over my face, cursing myself for allowing my emotions to
get the best of me. I should’ve known better.

“What do ya want,
Tasha?”

“Oh…I think you know what
I want.”

I uncovered my face and
informed her of what was not going to be happening.

“We are not
getting…”

“Oh, I don’t want to get
back with you…shit…I thought for months on how not to marry you,
but nothing I could come up with made it that I could drop you but
keep the money…until now that is.”

She confessed as she
finished off her drink.

Damn, didn’t see that one
coming. I knew she wanted my money, but planning…scheming? I was in
that moment shocked I was still alive.

“How much,
Tash?”

If that was what kept Elle
safe then Natasha could have it all. Money wasn’t worth Bear
hurting Elle any more than he had already done.

“Two million.”

Shit, that was
chump-change to me. I wouldn’t let her know that, but truth be
told, she was the one getting screwed on that deal; she could’ve
asked for so much more.

“Done!” I
exclaimed.

“And the
house.”

Fine, she wanted the
house, she could have it. I hated that huge house anyways. Once I
moved back down to Richland, I planned on using it as a vacation
house, but that’s fine… I knew exactly what would happen. Property
tax would come due, there would be no way in hell she could afford
that high of a tax; she’d lose the land. I'd come in, pay the tax
and own the property. That would chap her ass.

“Fine…the house, it’s
yours. I will get with Sam tomorrow and have a check drawn up and
couriered over; you can let me know where you want it sent. I will
contact my attorney and have papers for you to sign, but you have
to give me thirty days on the house. ”

She smiled that smile
again.

“I will give you two weeks
to get your shit out or else I will be asking for that as
well.”

I made a mental note to be
sure to add in the contract that this would be a final sale. She
wanted stipulations…so did I. She was going to leave me and Elle
the fuck alone and I would never hear from her again.

“Fine. This meeting is
over.”

I stood up to walk away
when I felt her grab a hold of me and hug me. I pushed her off, as
she stumbled she laughed.

“Pleasure doing business
with you, Trevor.”

As I walked away I flipped
her off, never looking back to see what her reaction would
be.

I drove to the hotel sat
in my car for a moment thinking of what just went down. I didn’t
regret one single decision that I had just made. If she would have
asked for every fucking cent I had, I would’ve given it to her and
never thought twice about it. It was only money…Elle and her
children’s safety was so much more important. I left my car and
bleeped the alarm planning on heading straight up to the suite;
that was until I went to pass the bar.

I thought to myself that I
would have one drink and only one. I walked inside and sat up at
the bar and asked for a jack straight up on the rocks. The
bartender nodded once in acknowledgement and went to pouring my
drink.

I started thinking over
the last couple of days with Elle; the conversations that we had. I
thought about what she had said in the elevator.

“I’m here to work Trevor.
I’m not here to fuck my boss. I’m finishing my job and I will leave
as soon as the last contract is signed.”

Maybe that was the
problem, I hadn’t made this personal enough. I got her here with
the excuse of work, but the main objective was personal. I took a
gulp of my drink and felt the burn down my throat. That burn had a
totally different meaning now. I wasn’t using it to wash away the
thoughts and visions of Elle, in fact…I wanted to remember every
minute I had with her, this was to help me think of how I could
repair her.

I thought back to the
first time I saw Elle out on the street in Richland. I fell right
back in love with her at that moment; I wanted to see that very
look on her face again…all the time.

I held up my glass to the
bartender asking for a refill. He did not hesitate.

I sat there in that bar
for what seemed like minutes thinking on what Rachel said to me,
how far Elle and I had come in the last few days and what the
future would be for the two of us together. I looked down at my
watch and realized it was blurry. I yelled at the bartender for the
time and could barely understand the words that were coming out of
my own mouth. I took it that it was my time to go pass
out.

I didn’t realize how much
I had drank sitting there, it became obvious as I stumbled to the
elevator. Making it into the suite, I went directly into Elle’s
room, there was nothing better than to wrap up next to her and pass
out. I opened the bedroom door quietly walked in. I didn’t hear
anything, so I walked as quietly as possible around the bed, when I
tripped over something falling directly onto Elle’s side of the
bed. I tried to catch myself, but my reflexes were slow and didn’t
make it. I crashed into her…or did I.

I felt the covers, there
was no one underneath them. I felt around until I could reach the
light on the wall and I flicked it on. I began looking around when
I realized the bathroom light was on…she must’ve been in there. I
sat on the edge of the bed waiting for her, it didn’t take long for
her to open the door and come into the bedroom.

“
Hi.”

No response.

I approached her to give
her a kiss and Elle turned her head.

Why was I not surprised
that she was still angry with me from this afternoon. Elle flew
around the room as though she had wings. She was throwing clothes
on and off, putting towels on her head then pulling them off.
Finally, she crawled into bed as I decided to take a shower, I’m
sure it didn’t help that I reeked of cigarette smoke.

Finishing up, I headed
back into the bedroom, Elle was already asleep. Quietly, I crawled
in bed and pulled her up against me.

“
I have a
headache.”

Well, hello…I guess she
was awake. Her response to me pulling her against my body humored
me.

“
And so it
begins….”

I said to no
one.

Quickly, Elle flipped over
to look at me.

“
So what begins,
TJ?”

I lifted myself up so that
I was sitting with my back against the headboard.

“The wifely duties of
denying her husband….”

Elle brings me her eyes as
she speaks; I’ve sobered up a bit now since my shower, so my words
aren’t as garbled.

“
I think you consumed way
too much alcohol tonight with whoever you were out with. If you
were smart, you would turn over, close your eyes and pass the fuck
out. We have a huge day tomorrow.”

I put my arm over the top
of her to try and roll her over so that she is facing me again as I
roll I put my mouth up to her ear.

“
Awwhhhh, do I detect a
lil bit of jealous there, baby? You know I am all and only
yours.”

I finish off by licking
around the tip of her ear. This must’ve rubbed her the wrong way,
because she sat up faster than I’ve ever seen anyone
move.

I wasn’t sure if I found
her movements amusing or if it was still being intoxicated, but of
course, I began laughing which only pissed Elle off
more.

“
TJ, I’m not jealous!
There’s nothing to be jealous about. This…”

Elle points between the
two of us as she huffs and puffs.

“…
is nothing other than
good reunion sex….that’s it hun. You are open to do whatever you
would like to do with whomever you would like to do it with. This
is not going any further than where it is. You’re not mine and I’m
definitely not yours.”

Now I was sober. I was
sober because she just stuck the knife straight through my heart.
All I had done, the years of planning getting her away just the two
of us was a complete waste. I had just given away two million
dollars and my home for a woman who just admitted to me that I was
nothing to her but reunion sex and finally I made a promise to
bring back the girl that I loved since second grade, from a woman
who didn’t even believe in love anymore. As if it couldn’t get any
worse, shit got worse.

“
The saying we used to say
as kids to each other…we’re bendable, not breakable….remember that?
It’s bullshit. We are breakable…always have been, always will be.
Now, I suggest you lay down, and get some sleep seeing as you have
an appointment first thing in the morning.”

For the first time in my
adult life I remembered what it felt like to be that little boy,
lying in bed, listening to his mom plead to be loved by a man who
never held her heart. I felt vulnerable and something I worked so
hard never to feel again in my life…weak. I didn’t know what else
to say or to do. I was going to have to call Rachel tomorrow and
tell her that I had failed. In seventeen years, I had never failed
at anything I had set out to do; yet, here I sat, with the most
important task right in front of me and I couldn’t break
through.

“You remember that first
day of school our second grade year…. My momma walked me into our
classroom and I looked around, I wasn’t scared…I wasn’t nervous;
hell, we knew everyone already. Then gazin’ across the kids, I saw
ya over in the corner with Rach and Lils.”

As I talked, I could see
the scene play out right in front of me as clear as crystal as
though it had happened yesterday.

“
I couldn’t’ believe it
Elle…I gotcha in my class. I walked down each aisle of desks
prayin’….no, beggin with the Lord that my desk could be next to
yours. I came to my desk and saw your nametag on the desk next to
mine…..and I knew then….right at that fucking moment, Elleny! So
don’t sit there and tell me we’re not unbreakable.”

I looked down at Elle. I
was desperate. If it took opening up, heart and soul to her, well
goddammit, I’d do it.

“Open your eyes, Elle and
look at me.”

Tears were running down
her face, she could hardly talk she was sobbing so hard. I was
breaking through, I wasn’t going to stop until I knocked the wall
completely down and there was no way for her to block me out
again.

“
He’ll run off with my
kids Trevor….he’ll kidnap my kids and take ‘em to Louisiana to
those hillbilly fucks he calls family and they’ll hide my kids from
me. I can’t risk it. I’ve lost everything in my life that meant
something to me. I can’t lose my kids.”