more that I couldn’t see yet.
I just turned and left Sylvia standing at the threshold of James’ front door. I wondered if leaving was the best idea, but I had to trust James. What could Sylvia do? James may have been blind to her intentions, but that didn’t mean he was so weak as to fall for her games. Still, I felt as if leaving was a mistake but I couldn’t rationalize any solid reason for staying. Besides, I’d probably choke her to death if I did.
~~~
“I would have beat her ass!” Josie said when I got home and told her about everything. The idea seemed childish, but quite satisfying, nevertheless. Great! Now instead of fantasizing about having sex with James, I was imagining punching Sylvia in the face.
“Too late now. Why didn’t you suggest it earlier?” I replied playfully. Josie laughed.
“You know, my brothers know people. Just say the word and…,” Josie said leaving the obvious unsaid.
“I’m not sure I’m ready to put out a hit on her, but thanks,” I told Josie and she winked at me. I wasn’t sure if she was being serious or not and I didn’t want to know. I wondered again if it was wise leaving James alone after Sylvia’s vague threat. I still felt as if she was just lashing out, but who knew for sure? James could have had any woman he wanted and I’d seen a few who obviously would drop their clothes and service him if he’d asked. He was a rock star and that came with the territory. But those fans and groupies weren’t staying in his house and weren’t his ex-wife.
I felt helpless. I couldn’t babysit James and I hadn’t been successful in convincing James that Sylvia might mean trouble. Honestly, I hadn’t been all that forceful in my complaints. However, it did bother me that James had dismissed my concerns so easily. Maybe I should have been more assertive but I didn’t want to force James to choose between a woman that he used to love and me, a woman he had yet to express those feelings for. I wanted to believe James would choose me, but I wasn’t so sure. I know that was my problem, my insecurities, more than anything but that didn’t make them go away.
“I’m going to bed, Josie. This had been a long ass day,” I told her and she wished me goodnight. I was sure I’d be up for hours thinking about Sylvia and Vicky despite how tired I was but my weariness overcame my worries and I was asleep before I knew it.
~~~
The next morning I saw Josie off to work after making her breakfast, the least I could do since I wasn’t technically employed at the moment. After she left, I took my time getting ready. I didn’t really have anything important to do. I had a few chores to take care of, but nothing pressing. It was more about getting away from Sylvia. I was about to sit down, pay some bills and balance my checkbook when my phone lit up. It was a text from James.
Miss U. Taking a break latr. B home at 4. Come see me.
That made me smile and I replied that I would. Sylvia and her threat had been in the back of my mind all morning and having a chance to see James and keep her away from him helped me feel better. James was practicing with the band at their studio near Venice Beach. With the tour starting in a few weeks, they had a lot of work to do. I was glad he was thinking about me even though he had a lot to do. I left my apartment at three, glad to have an excuse to get out of my apartment after a day of dealing with my personal finances.
I arrived at James’ house in Malibu about an hour later. I walked in and searched the house for James, but he was nowhere to be found. His truck was there but he had other vehicles, though he rarely drove them. I wound up in his office and was about to call him to see if he was on his way or somewhere about the house when I noticed Sylvia out in the pool. As per James’ rule, she was nude. Damn, why couldn’t she have been ugly or wrinkly? Sure, it was mostly phony but she was still stunning. Curves where a girl
A.S. Byatt
CHRISTOPHER M. COLAVITO
Jessica Gray
Elliott Kay
Larry Niven
John Lanchester
Deborah Smith
Charles Sheffield
Andrew Klavan
Gemma Halliday