Page 3 of Playing For Keeps
“I need your help,” she says quickly, straight to the point. Almost like she’s ripping off a band-aid. That must have been painful for her to say. Selena Myers doesn’t ask for help ever. Especially not from me. She’s the strongest person I know.
“What’s wrong?” I ask worriedly.
“I got myself in trouble,” she tells me.
“What did you do this time?” I ask.
“The right thing,” is her simple reply and I don’t question her further. I know she did the right thing. She’s always trying to do the right thing. She tends to forget she’s only human.
“Where are you?” I ask.
“On the road. I’m driving to Illinois.”
She’s coming here? She must be in real danger.
“From where?”
“D.C”
“That’s a fucking 12-hour drive,” I say in bewilderment.
“You think I don’t know that?” she snaps. “I don’t have much of a choice.”
“Lena,” I begin, wanting to say so much and ask so much, but instead I say, “Drive safely. I’ll be expecting you tomorrow morning. I’ll call in five hours.”
I sure as hell won’t be sleeping a wink tonight. I turn to look at all my friends who are gathered around the conference table in our headquarters. They’re all looking at me worriedly, wondering what’s wrong.
“What did she want?” Benton asks.
“She says she needs my help. I think she’s in danger,” I tell them.
“Yeah, she’s definitely in danger. I didn’t even know Selena could ask for help, especially not from you,” Miguel says.
They all know her so well. Selena is my ex-wife. She and I got divorced five years ago due to irreconcilable differences. At least that’s what we went with. Truth is, we messed up along the way and I have no idea what I did. I didn’t even think we could be in the same room without being at each other’s throats. I’m pretty sure she hates me and yet now she’s asking me for help? Something is seriously wrong indeed.
******
I escort her into the mansion. She looks exhausted and yet I can’t help thinking about just how beautiful she looks. Selena Myers is gorgeous as hell and she doesn’t even realize it. I guess that’s what adds to her allure. I’ve seen this woman drop to the ground at the side of the road to change a tire. She didn’t care about getting grease on her face or her hands. Selena has dark spotless skin and bright green eyes. Her raven black hair is a disheveled mess on top of her head right now and yet she’s still endearing.
Selena and I are divorced and yet I’ve had a hard time convincing myself and my dick that we aren’t together anymore. She’s the subject of my deepest desires and my fantasies. She arouses feelings in me that I thought I had buried. But she’s made it clear she wants nothing to do with me and I have to respect her wishes.
She’s being quiet as I lead her to meet the others. Her full plump lips are pressed in a thin line and she keeps clenching and unclenching her fists. There are dark circles underneath her eyes. She needs sleep, a lot of it. But first, she needs to tell us what’s wrong.
All of them stand up when she walks into the room. They stare awkwardly, they’re not sure how to act around her. I don’t think Selena likes them very much. She pretty much glares at them before taking a seat at the round conference table. The others settle down as well and I take the seat beside her.
“How’s it going, Selena?” Miguel asks, speaking up first.
“Pretty great. I was almost murdered last night,” Selena says.
The air in the room becomes charged.
I sit up in my chair.
“Explain,” I tell her looking into her eyes.
She stares back for a few seconds. Some emotion flickers in her eyes but then she blinks and it’s gone before I can decipher it. Selena takes a deep breath and launches into the story, telling us all about Senator Evan Ross and how she planned to get evidence against him for his upcoming trial.
“That was reckless, Selena. What did you expect was going to happen?” Thomas asks her.
