Taint(71)

That’s what I should have said.





“FIRST, I WANT to say how much of a pleasure it has been to have the opportunity to teach you and guide you all toward healthier, more fulfilling sex lives. Not only that, it’s been a pleasure getting to know each and every one of you. You all have been great…always willing to learn and improve, even when you weren’t 100% comfortable or convinced. And I just want to say thank you.”

I take a deep breath to steel my resolve and glance out at the eleven confused faces staring back at me. I am proud of them—all of them. And it truly hurts that I have to utter my next words to protect them. “That’s why I regret to inform you that the course will be ending a bit sooner than expected, and you’ll all be heading home.”

“What?”

“Why?”

“Did something happen?”

“Did we do something wrong?”

The questions hit me all at once, and I make a motion with my open hands to calm them down. “Ladies, I assure you, you’ve done nothing wrong. Just some issues have surfaced that require my immediate attention. Of course, you’ll all be issued a full refund and-”

“Why are you doing this?” The voice is broken, just like me. I can’t even look in her direction.

“Like I was saying, a full refund will be-”

“You can’t do this. You can’t just send me away. You can’t do this, Justice!”

I open my mouth to explain, but Diane rushes in, saving me from another cold, rehearsed line.

“Mr. Drake, we have a situation,” she mutters only for my ears. I give a stiff nod before turning towards the class.

“If you’ll excuse me for just a moment.”

I’m leading her to the back office that mostly houses locked file cabinets of client information and things of that nature. That’s when I hear it. A voice I haven’t heard in over a decade. A voice that shouldn’t be here.

I turn to Diane, whose dark, bronze skin suddenly looks ashen. “I tried to explain,” she shrieks. “Mr. Drake, what’s going on? The staff is worried…”

The voice grows louder, more annoying. It echoes through the foyer and pierces my eardrums with the pain of remembrance. I duck into the sitting area right off the great room, before I can be seen.

“Isolate the situation, Diane.” My voice is calm and level, but truth be told, my entire body is on red alert. “Make sure the ladies don’t know.”

But just as I say the words, I know it’s too late.

It’s too late.

Take a bow; the curtain’s closed. It’s time to go home.

“Ally Cat, come here, baby.”

I look around the corner just in time to see Evan Carr pull Ally—my Ally—into his arms. He touches her wild, red mane like he’s afraid it’ll bite, his brow furrowed at its newly freed state.

“Wow, you look…different.” He assesses her clothing, her sun-kissed skin, her swollen lips, still tingling with the taste of me. Ally returns his stare with bewilderment.

“Evan…Evan, what are you doing here?”

“I missed you. And with the scandal surrounding this Justice Drake guy, I knew I needed to bring you home.”

By now, the other housewives have trickled in, and while Diane tries to usher them back into the great room, her efforts are futile. The damage is already done.

“Scandal? What are you talking about?” Ally frowns. It doesn’t look right on her, and something within me shudders at the sight, longing to trace her lips and ease them into the smile that I know and love.

“The guy’s a hack, Ally. A fraud. He fooled us all just to get in the pants of dozens of innocent, unsuspecting women.” Evan flippantly runs a hand through his tousled, dirty blonde hair as if he isn’t defaming my character and my business.

“You know that’s not true,” Ally replies sternly. She pulls her wrists from his grasp.

Evan moves in close as if he’s about to kiss her, yet stops just a millimeter away from her lips. “Yeah, but we have company. And we want to make this good for them, right?” Then he places his lips on hers, just as a camera whirs and a blinding flash covers the room in fluorescent light.

Evan brought the paparazzi.

This fucker is doing this for publicity. Not because he loves and misses his wife. Not because he is concerned for her and the welfare of ten other women. He’s doing this all for press.

A cameraman steps out from behind a pillar and snaps several more shots of the couple, as well as the interior of the house.

“Where is this Justice Drake anyway?” he shouts, drawing more eyes and ears. “Where is the big, bad, sex doctor now?”