Inner Circle (6 page)

“What am I supposed to say? I’m in L.A., fresh off the freaking boat. All my family is in Brazil. I have three boys, ages two, five, and seven, who barely speak English. And to make matters worse, I may be pregnant again. I was hoping that when we moved to Los Angeles, things would be different. But I just met you ladies, and already I’m starting to wonder,” Callie lamented, pulling her dark brown, butt-length hair into a cinnamon roll-like bun.

“I don’t know what gave you that idea in the first place! Hell, girl, it’s always the same. A new team always translates to a new city with a whole lot of new pussy!” Jackie sassed. “I’ve endured three trades during Ray’s career, and, girl, I know what you’re going through. I’ve got two girls myself and a job on TV. You’d think as a celebrity entertainment analyst I’d be up on my game, but it never ceases to amaze me how Ray pulls the shit he does. This last stunt he pulled with our nanny showed up in my news files. It’s a good thing my executive producer is cool and allowed me to bury the story before it hit the wire. Cost me a hundred grand to pay that bitch off, but I’d do anything to save face for my girls right now. They’ve been through enough.”

Jackie took a swig of her beer. “I swear, no matter what I do, it’s never enough. I can pluck him, suck him, and fuck him, but the minute some new pussy crosses his path, Ray’s got his dick out ready to divide and conquer. I swear, the thing that bothers me more than the cheating is the fact that that muthafucka’ is so fucking careless with his dick that he could actually bring some nasty-ass disease home to me. That’s why I make his ass wear a condom.”

“And he actually
wears
one?” Callie quizzed.

“Hell, yeah! If he wants to get anywhere near
my
pussy he’ll do whatever the fuck I tell him to.”

“This is exactly what I’m talking about,” Eve jumped in. “And Jackie’s right. We’re crazy to think that our men may or may not be
cheating. Quite frankly, I couldn’t give two shits about trying to stop them from cheating anyhow. The cheating isn’t my issue. My issue is when they do something wrong and get caught and
we’re
stuck with these fucked-up ultimatums.” Eve took a sip from her drink. “If Amber leaves Sean now, she gets nothing.”

“What?” Jai quizzed.

“Yeah, that son of a bitch has her stuck with no fucking leverage. You think it’s an accident that my agreement with Chase looks the way it looks? No! It took me months, while we were engaged, to find just the thing I needed to ensure myself a good deal should we break up. My mother hated the idea of my marrying an athlete, so when I did decide to go ahead with it, it wasn’t without some major insurance. Now, don’t get me wrong. I love my husband, and I want nothing more than to stay married to Chase and have the happily-ever-after life we all dream of having, but just in case he decides to go to the left on me, I’m covered.”

“How do you get leverage once you’re already married?” Callie asked. “Hell, I’m just like Amber. My prenup is ironclad to the benefit of Drew. I don’t work. Raising our kids is my job, and Drew knows that. Our kids are the only thing saving me. Fortunately, there’s a preset child support amount established for each child should we ever split, and that’s only because Drew loves them so much he’d want them to have the best possible life.”

“Well, if I’m hearing correctly, sounds like we’ve all got issues that could benefit from an association. Just know that if you’re in, this is going to get real personal, ladies. The information I’ll need to get on each of your husbands will determine your level of leverage. You’ll need to really think about it before we start this process. If you’re not down, I understand. Because once we start, there is no turning back. I’ll give each of you a list of things I’ll need from you regarding your men. Then, we’ll sit down with each other to determine the next steps. We’ll have to agree that the information gathered never leaves this circle. That, by far, is first and foremost the most important thing
about our association. We make up the ‘inner circle,’ and that circle cannot and should not ever be broken.”

“Am I the only one who feels like we’re in high school?” Jai laughed.

“That depends on your issue,” Eve declared.

“Tony and I don’t have an issue. My husband doesn’t cheat,” Jai stated proudly. “I know the stigma when you marry a professional athlete is that all of them cheat, do drugs, gamble, or something, but that’s just not the case with us. Tony is faithful to me. He’s a good man; always has been, and always will be. Now, I’m not saying that to rub it in anyone’s face regarding their circumstances. I’m here, and I’ll help. I didn’t marry into this lifestyle. I come from money, Cuban money, so you see, I was already accustomed to it. My family is very, very wealthy. Eve, anything you need, you just let me know, and I’ll cover it. But, ladies, my leverage is love, and Tony is proof that good men do exist.”

“Respect!” Eve replied to Jai. “Thank you for that. And you’re right: There are some good men out there. It’s just hard to remember that when the one you love does something incredibly stupid, then has the nerve to make you feel like shit for it.”

“Well, I’m sick of feeling like shit,” Amber said, her frustration evident. “I can’t believe Sean did this to me. I thought we were happy. I don’t want to leave him; I just want to get back what we had. We have a daughter, and quite frankly, I like being a basketball wife. I’m nothing without that title. It may sound pathetic, but that’s where I’m at. Eve can tell you, we grew up poor. I worked my butt off to get a scholarship to USC. When I met Sean, I knew exactly what I was getting myself into and have sacrificed everything to be with him. I don’t care what it takes, I’m in. Just let me know what you need.”

“Me too,” Jai agreed.

“I’m in too, but I swear, Ray’s ass better not ever make me need whatever this so-called leverage is,” Jackie said, shaking her head.
“That muthafucka’ knows it’s damn sure cheaper to keep my ass. Besides, I take my vows seriously. I’m a for real, “til death do us part’ kinda bitch, you feel me? The way I see it, the only way he leaves me is in a body bag.”

Eve looked at each lady in the room, confirming their participation in the association with direct eye contact. She knew that she couldn’t promise perfection in any of their marriages, no matter what information she gathered against their men. She could, however, promise protection by means of a bond of friendship that would unite them on a higher level. As she proposed a toast, she vowed that from that day forward she would forever have each lady’s back, and, as an added bonus, she’d have their fronts and their sides too. The only true question that raced through her head was whether they’d always have hers.

4

After
working two straight twelve-hour days, Eve made her way into the kitchen feeling a little overwhelmed by the previous night’s events. It had been three days since the ladies agreed to start The Wives Association, and the confessions of infidelity still weighed heavy on her mind. Although she and Chase hadn’t had any real issues regarding infidelity, when situations like the one with Amber arose, it always made her second-guess his loyalty.

Chase was sound asleep when she got home, and her suspicions ran wild. Chase was brilliant in how he handled Eve, but Eve was hip to his methods. Although he willingly gave her the codes to both of his cell phones, what he failed to realize was that she not only knew about the secret cell phone he kept locked in the glove compartment of his Toyota Prius, a car he knew she’d never drive, but that she had the code to that phone as well as all the passwords to his Twitter, Facebook, and even his BBM accounts. Even though she hadn’t monitored those accounts in a while, at the moment, she felt it was certainly about time she did. She knew Chase and Sean weren’t all that close, but once upon a time they were, and for some reason, Eve suspected that Chase knew about Sean’s affair.

She popped a cinnamon raisin bagel into the toaster and loaded
a caramel macchiato into the coffeemaker. Grabbing a yogurt from the fridge, she made her way into the adjacent breakfast nook, iPad in hand. This was one of her favorite spots, and she took a seat directly in front of the French doors, one of four exits to the rear of the house.

Eve relaxed, pulling her feet into the chair Indian-style and enjoying the moment as she slowly ate. She dialed Amber’s number, but it went straight to voice mail.
Odd,
she thought, especially since Amber was a phone stalker making sure she answered all calls at any and all times. When she had finished her yogurt and popped the last of the bagel into her mouth, Eve sat for nearly half an hour sipping her coffee and enjoying the view, still caught up in what Amber must be feeling. She let out a heavy sigh, recalling the countless conversations she’d had with her mother about these exact kinds of situations.

“Do you realize what you’re getting yourself into? You are not exempt from the hurt this guy will bring.”

“Not all athletes cheat, Mama! Not every athlete is my father, and not every woman is you.”

“So you’re better than me? ¿Planteo que les dará a ustedes todo y piensas que eres mejor que yo? No!”

“Mama, I don’t think I’m better than you. Just different! I love Chase. And he loves me. He’s not my father. I just want you to respect that.” Eve watched as her mother unlocked the doors to her newly located South Beach store Pashions.

Instead of joy, Nadia’s face displayed intense protection and disapproval. Even though Eve had done everything else her mother had asked her to do in terms of being self-sufficient and financially independent, Nadia still couldn’t get over the fact that she’d actually gone through with marrying Chase. It didn’t matter that for the past two years Eve had actually been happy and able to fulfill her mother’s ultimate dream of owning and operating her own store.

“All I’m asking is that you give him a chance, please?”

“¡Nunca! Sé que va a hacer daño. La madre sabe. Sé,” Nadia snapped. “He will hurt you. It’s not a matter of if; it’s a matter of when. But you’re my daughter, and I love you. I’ll be here for you, but I do not agree with your choice, and that’s that. The only respect I’ll give you is the respect of staying silent.”

Eve stirred the remains of her coffee, thinking Nadia had truly kept her promise. Two years later, and with five successful years of marriage, Nadia still hadn’t offered Eve one piece of advice, criticism, or anything else, for that matter. It was hard for Eve because it was at times like this that she desperately wanted to talk to her mother.

“Whatcha thinking about?” Chase’s question startled her.

“Amber, my mother . . . I guess everything.” Eve rose to accept his kiss as Chase leaned forward.

“I hope you’re not getting any crazy ideas.”

“What do you mean?” Eve placed her saucer and mug in the dishwasher.

“I know how you women think: one man cheats, all of us cheat.” Chase reached over her shoulder grabbing the bag of bagels from the counter. “I’m not Sean and have no desire to fuck around on you.”

“I never said you did.”

“But are you thinking it?”

“No!” Eve lied. She took the bagel from his hand and placed it in the toaster. “You want coffee?”

“Nah, I’m good. I’ll make my shake,” he said, heading to the blender.

“I’ll make it for you,” she said, immediately peeling a banana and tossing spinach into the blender. “I wonder though . . .”

“Here we go.”

“Babe, I’m wondering . . . did you know?” Eve tossed the ice and vanilla Silk into the blender.

“Did I know what? Did I know that Sean was banging his chef?
No! Did I know he was an asshole? Hell, yeah. But what’s that got to do with me?”

“So you knew he was cheating?” Eve poured the protein shake into Chase’s favorite shake bottle and placed it and the creamed bagel in front of him.

“I just said I didn’t know he was banging ole’ girl. I know it’s in a man to cheat, but it’s also in a real man to be faithful. Don’t bring me into this shit, Ev, I mean it.”

Eve relented. She could tell Chase was getting more and more frustrated by the minute, and going in on him would only create strife in their marriage. She stroked the top of his head gently with her hand, then kissed his forehead. “I’m sorry, babe, I didn’t mean to sound accusatory. You’ve never given me a reason to doubt you. I guess I’m just tripping. Amber is my best friend, and Sean’s really putting her in a bad place, you know? I just wished there was something I could do to help. She’s got Olivia to think about, and if she leaves him right now, they get nothing. How is she gonna take care of that baby?”

“First of all, Olivia is seven, and Sean may be a lot of things, but a deadbeat dad isn’t one of them.”

“Wow, that’s a lot coming from you.” Eve kissed him again only this time on the lips. “You think it’ll be okay if I invited Amber and Olivia to stay here for a couple of days, just until she’s able to sort some stuff out?” Doubts about having a vulnerable woman live under the same roof with her and her husband were immediately dismissed when Eve remembered that the vulnerable woman was her best friend.