Loving Lena (4 page)

Lena

I'm stepping out on a limb here; taking my chances on the hope that while you may not respond to me, you're at least reading my groveling letters. I miss you, Lee. I miss the fun the three of us had. I know that'll never happen again and it saddens me. When I mess up, it's on a Grand Canyon scale. First off, I had to go to the hospital for dehydration. I must've used too much water crying. :-) Elijah stayed at the hospital all night until they released me hours later. That's what happens with crappy insurance. Anyway, after he dropped me off, his dad showed up, yelling and pushing. He threatened to have me fixed. Yes, like I'm a fucking dog. Yes, I cursed. In this instance, it is understandable.

The man is nuts. He wouldn't let me say a word. He babbled about all he'd built in the community and no one would tear his work apart. After threatening me to stay away from his son, he left. Seriously, I think he's losing his mind. I hope you kick his ass in the lawsuit.

You had the right idea leaving this backwards place. I'm looking for another job and getting out of here. There's an opening in California which looks promising. I advised Elijah to do the same, but he said it wasn't time for him to leave. Perhaps you could forgive him a little bit... it'd make his life easier.

Anthony

By the time she finished the letter, she was chuckling in remembrance of his offbeat sense of humor. It'd been months since she left home and for the first time in a while, she felt good about the direction of her life. Tonight she would finally crack open her new L.A. Banks novel. Her spirits soared at the prospect. Feeling free, she opened Elijah's letter.

Lena

Your attorney is like a bulldog. I miss you. The members miss you. Are you coming for a visit? What do you want me to do with your things? They're still where you left them, waiting for you. Anthony is moving to California. He has a job offer as Minister of Music from a large church near Sacramento. I can't blame him for bailing. My dad threatened him and started all kinds of rumors about him. You can imagine how things are going in the church now that the board summoned him back to the pulpit. They put me on restrictions until I get my house in order. Funny, huh?

Your lawsuit hit the fan the other day, and everyone discovered the assault charges. Mom took to her bed and won't come out. Some reporters stuck their microphones under daddy's nose and picked up a few choice curse words. A few members left the church, and the board is investigating the matter. It'll be interesting to see if they put him on restriction for hitting you. What a jerk. You see. You are a liberating influence on me.

I miss you. Thanks for being my sounding board. It helps me stay sane.

Your husband,

Elijah

She grimaced at the mention of the lawsuit. Her attorney was in heaven and intended to wring every bit of juice from the case. Neither her father-in-law nor the police officer who came to rescue her understood her attorney had the ultimate weapon in this case: a tape recording with the police officer and her father-in-law deliberately lying about the assault.

They'd stepped off a cliff and fell into her web. Now, they'd all have to pay. Big Daddy Pace would be taken down a few pegs by her pint-sized lawyer. She folded both letters and placed them on the table as she thought about Anthony and Elijah. They were talking to her in the same way they'd always done. Maybe she'd remind them they were no longer friends, or better yet tell her attorney to stop them from writing her. Yeah, that's what she'd do. How could she move forward if they kept her tethered to the past?

Chapter 5

Lena felt the beat of the bass beat through the soles of her three-inch pumps and lamented her decision to come out tonight. Faye had been steadily dating Jeff from the dealership and felt she'd neglected Lena. As many times as she'd brushed off Faye's invitations to go socialize, she was shocked to find herself dressed and maneuvering through so many gyrating bodies. She'd purposely avoided hanging around Jeff, since she never called Kurt. Somehow, she knew Kurt wouldn’t be a light distraction. He was too much man, and that wouldn't suit her purposes. Monogamous relationships were taboo right now.

The first club offered Ladies night with half-priced drinks. Faye could handle a rum and coke with the best of them. A pina colada gave Lena a buzz. Multiplied, she was high and laughing wildly.

“So are you here with your friends?” she asked the buff military guy sitting next to her at the bar.

“Yeah.” He nodded staring at her lips. “My partner is over there.” Something about the way he said partner struck Lena the wrong way. Her eyes widened and she took a gulp of her colada. The ice-cold fluids set her on fire.

“Are you guys a pair?”

He moved back, frowning. “What do you mean? A pair of what?”

Lena opened her mouth to answer when hands grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back.

“Excuse us,” Faye removed Lena's drink from her fingers. “Our men are waiting for us. We're leaving.” She glared at Lena.

“But I was talking to the nice man. That's his partner over there.” She pointed across the room and everyone at the bar stared in that direction. The partner sat alone nursing a drink. The man she’d talked to reddened.

“That's my roommate, not partner.” His jaw clenched as Faye pulled her away. “What’re you trying to say?”

“Nothing.” Faye tugged her arm. “We're leaving. Got someplace to be.” They walked outside. “You okay?” Faye asked, looking concerned.

“I'm good.” Lena smiled tilting toward the smaller woman.

“What the hell are you thinking? You can't question every man about being on the down low. First off, they won't tell you the truth. Second, they'll get angry. People are drinking and may not be thinking straight.”

“Got it. No down low questions.” Lena nodded and walked to the car.

“That's what you said before at the other club. Seriously, you gotta stop this. I don't want you hurt.”

Lena saluted her friend and sat in the passenger's side. “I promise.” They headed to the next club in silence.

***

“There he is,” Faye yelled above the crowd, waving wildly to Jeff. She grabbed Lena's hand and pulled her toward the table. Before they left the crowded area, another hand latched onto Lena, stopping her short of reaching her goal. A quick glance at her hand, her mouth tightened as the tall cowboy pulled her toward him. Faye rounded on him.

“What the fuck are you doing grabbing her like that?” Faye screamed at the large man. Lena’s face heated in inebriated embarrassment.
Figures I’d attract a loser
.

Jeff came up behind Faye and pushed her to the side. “Drop her hand or I drop you. Your choice.” The demand was precise and deadly.” Jeff moved to break the connection.

“I didn't know this was you. Sorry 'bout that. No offense intended.” The man dropped her hand and backed up.

“You offended me,” Lena snarled, her anger a little delayed, but now she was mad as fire. “Why the hell are you apologizing to him, you didn't touch him.”

“She's right.” Jeff crossed his arms, and stood next to her. A small crowd had gathered around.

The man reddened. His jaw clenched. “I apologize, Ma'am. I shouldn't be drinking, and I shouldn't have touched you without your permission.” He nodded and backed away before turning.

“Stupid asshole,” Faye muttered. Jeff pulled her into his arms and whispered into her ear. Soon she was giggling as they made their way to the table.

“Are you alright?” Faye asked as they maneuvered through the crowd.

She nodded, not trusting her voice. “I'm good, thanks.” The buzz was fading and the reality of being the center of attention bugged her.

Kurt returned to his seat in the shadows. Jeff had things under control. He'd seen her when she first walked in, a true jewel in a sea of cut glass. The dress she wore fit like a lost lover. Her skin glowed. Men watched lustfully as she moved, no doubt wondering how to get next to her. Pity, she was his, at least for tonight. He'd allowed her time to adjust to Wyoming. According to Jeff, she took a job and bought a place to stay. That fit in with his plans of keeping her close. He knew she rarely went out, didn't date, much and saw no one seriously. Three months and he hadn’t heard from her, not a call or date. He'd been patient. Now was his time to play. He watched her sip some fruity-looking drink, while turning down offers to dance and talk.
Good girl
. One man stood at her table too long. Kurt rose, drink in hand, and made his way to her table.

“I'm from Denver. I already told you I don't want to dance.” Lena sipped her drink wishing the man would leave her alone. She wasn't tipsy enough to deal with him.

“Hey, gorgeous.” The deep voice had her whipping around in her chair. “You promised to call me back.”

Lena stared as her heart raced. “Kurt.” Why did her voice shake? Because he looked rough and rugged, staring at her as if she were on the menu. Hungry, that was the best word for his emerald gaze.

“That's me. I'm glad you remembered my name.” He sat in Jeff's vacated chair.

“I thought you didn't want to talk?” The petulant sound came from the other side of the table. She'd forgotten the man standing in Kurt's shadow.

“I, uh, don't. Not really,” she stammered. The man glared at Kurt, who chuckled and didn't move.

“I asked why you didn't call me.” He ignored the man and moved his chair closer to hers.

“If you wanted me to ignore your requests like a gentleman, that's all you had to say.” The man puffed up while pulling out the other chair.

“No! That's not what I want, why would you say that?”

Kurt shrugged and looked at the guy. “She and I met months ago. We're old friends catching up. You should never disregard a woman's request or disrespect her wishes. It's not healthy.” The last words weren’t lost on her unwanted guest. Jaw tight, he nodded slowly and left.

“Tactful. I like that.” Her lips curled in a semblance of a smile.

“I try.” He paused. “Why haven't you called me?”

He gazed at her, drinking in her understated beauty. Her long thick hair moved seductively when she spun to face him. The royal blue dress had a deceiving boat neck collar in the front that dipped real low in the rear, displaying her bare back, stopping just above her round cheeks. It hugged her hips and accentuated her hourglass figure. High heels added inches; she appeared close to six feet. No wonder the cowboy had gotten hot and bothered.

“I've um,” she coughed, “I've been busy getting settled and haven't been socializing much.”

At least she spoke truthfully; he gave her points for that. Touching the back of her hand, he sensed her reticence cloaked something deeper. Feeling territorial, he moved closer and whispered into her ear. “You look great. Can I have a bite of you?”

Subtlety wasn't his strong suit. His ex had often called him Tarzan. Behind the urbane facade, beat the heart of a primitive male from a past era. Rarely did he see something he wanted and not go after it one hundred percent. And tonight, he wanted Ms. Lena Pace. She took a sip of her drink, looking around the crowded area. He wondered where her head was. She still hadn't answered him.

Jeff and his date returned to the table. Kurt glanced at them and then returned his attention to Lena. She looked like a woman with a lot on her mind. He'd give her a few minutes, and then he'd ask his question again.

“You okay?” Jeff's date reached across the table grabbing Lena’s hand. He'd been introduced to the smaller woman, but couldn't remember her name.

“Yeah, just thinking.” Lena paused. “It's more crowded in here than the other place, why'd you wanna come here?”

She pointed at Jeff. “To meet up with him after he got off work. The dealership's not far from here.”

Lena nodded, took another sip and looked up at Jeff and then Kurt. “Are y'all partners?”

“Yeah, he's my— ”

Kurt waved Jeff off. After noticing the tense look on Jeff's date's face, he decided there was something more going on.

“Define partners.” He took a sip of his drink.

“Lena.” The shorter woman's voice held a weary warning.

“Faye.” Both women looked at each other before sitting back. “Partners. Like you hang, have keys to one another's places or cars. Close friends. Partners.”

Jeff looked at him, a puzzled look on his face. The atmosphere held unspoken secrets. Pursing his lips, Kurt gazed at the side profile of the object of his lust and wondered what she really meant. Cautiously, he responded.

“Jeff and I have known each other since high school. Played sports together, went to different colleges, and now we work together.” He paused. “I don't have any partners at the dealership, and I don't have a key to his place. He might have one to mine from when he stayed there for a short time.” Her shoulders tightened.

“You guys lived together?” Her voice sounded off.

Kurt glanced at her friend who watched the dance floor as if were the most fascinating thing in the world. Something was up, but he couldn't place it. Jeff had tuned them out and stroked his date's arm while looking around.