CHAPTER 37

The whole residents of Miami woke up to the news. The internet was agog with pictures of the sweet couple. Every social media gossip page posted the news. And the TV stations aired the interesting news. Of course, both their pasts were revisited. Evangeline’s too. But none of these stood to these beautifully captured pictures. They all paled to the lovey-dovey looks of the couple.

That morning, Mary woke up with a refreshing start. Last night, she had been able to get through to Logan. Though they had made no plans, it was good to at least get him to speak with her. They had spoken at length. Ever since the Evangeline trauma, last night was the only time they’ve had a decent conversation. For friends who talk almost every day and saw each other almost daily, the incident had broken their relationship. As she awoke this morning, the refreshing feeling of last night’s conversation with her lover made her in a good mood.

Before even her early morning exercise, she started to clean. Mary hardly cleaned. She would rather pay her cleaning lady than do the job herself and this had nothing to do with the big house. It was just something she wouldn’t do even if she lived in a smaller house. The living and dining room had been thoroughly wiped, she moved to her bedroom. The chiming of her tablet made her drop the scrub and sit on the bed while reaching for the gadget. Whatever happy mood she’s been in when she woke up vanished instantly.

For Mary who was just settling back into the county, the news was an intrusion. It bothered on rudeness. The fact that Logan had been ignoring her for the whole week she had been around was beginning to annoy her. Now just when she thought she’d made a headway start with him, the drama was starting again!

“Imagine waking up to this nonsense” she hissed, and flung her tablet on the bed. She slumped on the bed feeling frustrated. And for a while, she couldn’t think straight. The images she saw on the net stuck to her memory. All she saw was the looks, and the romantic setting, and the lies, and the ache she now felt somewhere deep in her heart. Feeling so sad, she left her room and went to the gym room.

As she began her early morning routine, her mind ran through in circles. She wondered what to do about the information. Does Evangeline know?

“I’ll bet the bitch doesn’t”

Since focusing on her exercises proved abortive, she left the place and went back to scrolling through the net. What annoyed Mary was how good the couple looked. In one of the pictures, Logan had his hand around the back of Audrey’s neck while she smiled at him. It was a lovely moment. The look on his face made her want to puke. No, this was wrong. She wasn’t going to have this. What did Logan take her for? For the thirteenth time since seeing the post today, she called him. Like all twelve calls, he didn’t pick.

She decided to call Evangeline and let her know just what her secretary had been doing with her man. But she couldn’t remember the last time she spoke with her friend. Like Logan, since the incident, Evan wasn’t on speaking terms with her. Not that she blamed her. The woman had been shocked at having her best friend pull such a stunt on her. Sighing, she knew Evan wasn’t going to pick up anyways. There were better options. Zoe? She could tell Zoe and be sure the news would get to Evan. As she was about to drop the tablet, something caught her eye. Strolling upwards, she found the picture. It was a piece of side news on the net because it was run on another blog. Clicking on the image for a better view, she was sure she didn’t see this right.

For a full-blown minute, Mary stared at the screen. It was a heavily pregnant Evan all right. She would know her friend even if they were now frenemies. Evangeline had changed. She was so big with her popping stomach. On one knee was Jason Valdez with a ring. The sexy billionaire had proposed to her friend.

“Just what the hell has been going on?” she hissed and decided she needed the workout now more than ever. There was no way Evangeline would be bothered by whatever Logan did now. She was engaged to another. While she angrily hit the punching bag, she wondered how the hell she had let things get out of hand so easily. A silly mistake had cost her so much. Everyone sees her as a villain, but truly she was the victim in this circumstance.

Remembering how it all started, she cussed and hit the bag angrily again. The heavy blow sent the bag flying way up. The force of it sent the bag right back in her face and she fell flat on her butt. Mary didn’t bother getting up. She stayed right there on her gym floor, crying silently. As the tears flowed, her mind travelled back memory lane thinking of what she had done.

*****

They were childhood friends. Logan’s parents and hers were so close that the kids were forced to be close too. The two families were always together most weekends as business associates. Mary was the only child of her parents staying in Miami as her two siblings were in France with their grandparents, studying. Expectedly, she was always so lonely. But becoming friends with Logan soon changed that.

They were never really close at first. They were just kids who see each other every day in school, and on most weekends. In school, they were polite to each other. He would wave at her and she would too. But that was it. He had his friends, she had hers. Everything changed on his tenth birthday. The MC had asked him to pick someone to dance with and he had chosen her. He could have picked any of his friends, but he had chosen her. And while they danced, he had whispered in her ears that he picked her because his friends liked her, especially spoilt Billy.

“He calls you her girl.” he shrugged, “And I know it’s a lie because…well”

“Of course, we don’t even speak to each other.” she rolled her eyes, “Plus every girl in class says he’s arrogant”

They both turned then to see Billy glaring at them as they danced. The two giggled while their little friend began to feel annoyed thinking they were too close. It became their little secret. Something they look forward to talking about every time they met. From there, they started to talk about other things; ball games, books, teachers, and on and on.

Both were inseparable. Even when their parents don’t visit, they find ways to meet. Sometimes at picnics, parties or even house visits. And they saw each other in school. As the kids grew, so did their friendship. Then it happened.

The first time Logan fell in love, she made a joke of it. He was in his late twenties, she was in her early twenties. He had several girls, and she, her boys. He was a rogue craving the loveliest women and wanting in between their legs. She had her fair share of men too. They were good friends, knew everything about each other including their sex lives. Friends don’t fall in love. That was her belief. But Logan had. And she had made a terrible tease out of that.

“It’s because we’re always together.” she’d laughed right in his face.

It was one evening, right after he had been dumped by one of his flings. For some reason, the breakup had affected him so much considering he had hosts of others. The lady had insisted he liked Mary more because whenever Mary called, even when he was about to cum, he’d rush it off and fly over to her side. Mary came first. It was always Mary. Perhaps that talk sank in too deep and he found himself seeing his childhood friend in a different light.

“I think she’s right you know” he had said while telling Mary what had caused their breakup “Right about what?” she had asked even though he’d just said the lady said he always put her first. She didn’t understand how that made sense. Of course, his date was wrong. Logan was just a good friend, and they had been friends forever. It would be insane if he didn’t take her seriously.

“It’s true I kinda always make you my priority.” he replied, leaning in his chair.

“So do I.” she replied casually, seeing no sense in not being otherwise.

“You do?” he looked at her with wide eyes “Yes, it would be insane if we don’t”

Seeing that what she meant wasn’t what he meant, he held her hands and told her just how she meant to him. “I think I may have fallen in love with you.” he said, though sounding unsure, he knew this was love.

But Mary didn’t feel that way. Which was why that day when Logan held her hands and whispered, “I think I love you” she had laughed so hard before telling him he was insane. “We’re friends, more like family”

“Why can’t we be more?” he asked, “We are always together as you rightly pointed out. We know everything about each other.” he stopped talking, letting his words sink in, “Shouldn’t that be the more reason why we would work?”

“I cannot believe you’re doing this to me right now.” Mary had hissed, “Give it another day and I’ll bet you’ll be in love with another girl soon”

A week later, Logan had another girlfriend and he totally forgot about the conversation. He never said anything again. But there were times when he looked at her strangely. She knew those times; he was probably fighting his feelings for her. She never fancied him. man! Didn’t she hate when he sweated things out? She literally knew him at his worst. It wasn’t something to overlook. So it was easy for her to not have feelings for him. For what’s worth, she was seeing the best guy who treated her with so much respect and love than Logan could ever. She was living her best life and wanted no love involved. She said this in so many ways to make it sink into his thick skull.

There had been another similar incident when he was drunk and had said he loved her. But she had discarded the words as those of a drunk. It was amusing watching him fall in and out of love with her until he became so into women that he forgot about her, seeing them as nothing more than just friends.

And then, she started to fall for him. At first, her feelings for him had been unstable. Sometimes it was because of what he did. At other times, it was because of something nice he said to her. Other times, she found herself not in love with him. Sometimes because he was all sweaty and other times because he ate like all men did when their ladies weren’t in the same vicinity with them; like tigers. They were all the same, rushing their meals like they were competing for a race and messing up the table. The truth was Logan was always himself around her. There was no need to be shy or hide away who he was.

She continued to fall in and out of love with him until one day when she realized she was really into him. She couldn’t say when or how it had happened, but she knew it had and she was in big trouble. At the time, Logan was in a steady relationship with Shaina. She was his long-standing relationship and he was almost in love. She saw the way he looked at her and could tell there was no way the man was in love with another. The ‘another’ been her. He had no longer had feelings for her.

She managed to break up his relationship with Shaina. And through her brilliant idea, she introduced him to her friend. The one friend she could trust not to fall for Logan; Evangeline. Like herself, Evangeline and Zoe had been through series of heartbreaks. And the trio had a pact not to fall in love, or date anyone longer than 6months. They dated men for the fun and dropped them when the thrill had lost its shine. It was the best way to get Logan tied down for some months while she figured out how to tell him she felt the same way too.

Knowing how she had mocked him when he told her about his feelings, she didn’t know how to say to him that she was also in love with him. So, he kept him on a tight leash with Evan. Only he never said anything to her friend her exact reason while she wanted them to meet, and date. It was supposed to work. Her friend had just six months to work his heart and break it while she swoons in to save him. But she had been wrong. While she secretly nursed her feelings, she watched the two get too close. By the time she finally saw how stupid her plan was, it was too late. So, she did what she had to do to get her man back.

Mary got off the floor now, determined to end this too. If she could get Evangeline and Shaina off, then Audrey should be an easy bite. She was going to the office to have a word with the bitch on why helps like her do not drag men for the classy chics.

*****

Audrey stared from the phone to the man sitting meekly from across her desk. The internet was ablaze with their pictures and she had been receiving strange calls all day from desperate bloggers eager to get her comments. When she walked into the office this morning, people had been all smiles telling her how good she looked with Logan. Now, the man who had caused all the stir, sat across from her looking so cute. She forced her smile to stay hidden while giving him a swell time for this game he played without letting her in. “So you mean of all the things you could have done; this was the best plan?”

Logan smiled at her, “It’s the only way to get her off my back” he replied, “Trust me, I did this for…” he shut his mouth. He had been about to say he did this for her. But somehow, it only made him sound so selfish. “I did it for me.” he said instead, “For us”

“You sure about that?” asked Audrey with a deep frown. “Last time I checked this was about getting Mary off our backs”

“I don’t get the point here”

“I’m saying perhaps this is to get her attention.” she told him clearly, watching his reaction. “I didn’t ask for this”

“But you had doubts about me being with her” she scoffed, “I knew you weren’t with her. I just said she still had a thing for you”

“And this is how I let her know I could never feel that way for her” smiling at her, he stood up. What he didn’t say was he had once felt this way and she had told him very clearly they could never be. Once he had pretended to be drunk and told her how he felt. Mary had made a terrible joke of him.

He recalled that evening. He had pretended to be drunk to ask her for the last time if they could be together. And she had leaned over him and whispered. “We can never be together Logan.” she said, “You reek of alcohol so I am sure you’d never remember this. The thought of us together making me eeww, sick. Probably because I see you more as a brother.” then she went on to say his sweaty body wasn’t something she wanted drilling her.”

Wanting to be straight with Audrey, he told her just what had transpired between them. “We were childhood friends”

“Yeah, I know that”

“And along the way, I started to love her. We were always together. Guess the proximity made me develop feelings for her” he sighed, “But she didn’t feel the same way thankfully.” He went on to tell her the stunt he had pulled to get her to be truthful about her feelings too. When he said what Mary had said to him, Audrey gasped.

“She said that?” Audrey asked wide-eyed.

“She did.” he said. “Apparently, we’ve been too close for comfort. I did things with her that I shouldn’t have”

“Do you regret it?” she asked, wanting to have all the cards before knowing what she was getting into.

“No.” he said, “No, I don’t” he smiled, “Not long after, she introduced me to Evangeline. Her best friend. I guess that sealed it for me. She didn’t want me”

He was beside her now. She took his outstretched hand, and he pulled her out of the chair and they walked towards the door. “Can we please get over this?” they were in a secured room and though it felt strange to be doing this in his ex-girlfriend’s office, he went over to his lady. “I’ve missed you.” Leaning against the door, he pulled her to himself “So have I.” she said scrolling through her smartphone. “I must say we do look good together” he kissed her while taking the device from her hands. As he kissed her, he locked the door and dropped the device on the cabinet beside them. She moaned into his mouth when he deepened the kiss.

He lifted her to himself and carried her back to the desk then pulled her to himself with a satisfied sigh. He would have taken her right now, she looked so alluring, it wasn’t easy holding off. He gently parted her buttons and stared at her perky boobs. He nibbled down her neck to the peak of her breast before burying himself in the gap between them. Sucking in her fresh scent, he tugged at her hook behind her, releasing them from their cup. His hand cupped her breasts and she sighed into his mouth. His hands never leaving her breast while his mouth kissed her sweetly. Occasionally, he replaced his hand on her boobs with his mouth, teasing her.

And while he busied himself with her boobs, she rubbed his thick hardness through his trouser. As he grew, she became bolder and unzipped him, purring in contentment at his hard length. Through his brief, she rubbed him, and he groaned into her mouth kissing her fiercely. He let her grope him while they both sigh and moan passionately. His arousal became full-blown when she reached for his dick which was so hot it burned. As her hand circled his dick, he lost control and started to jerk in her hand.

Everything became a rush afterwards. When he buried himself into her warmth, she grabbed him and winced painfully. He slowed, gently rocking his waist and settled more comfortably. When she tugged at his shirt, pulling him closer, she started to gyrate over her, driving them both to release.

*****

Mary slumped at the door having heard the couple’s conversation. She had come to warn Audrey to stay off her man and had been ushered into the office by the new staff. The secretary wasn’t on her seat, so she walked into the inner offices hoping to ask one of the staff for her. The first door had been slightly opened and she was about peeking in when she heard Logan’s laugh, followed by a soft laugh. So she stayed to listen knowing that the woman in the room with him was definitely Audrey.

Listening to their conversation, she stood behind the door visibly shaken. She had thought introducing Logan to her friend was a way to get him tied down till she figured out how to make her feelings known. Instead, it had given the wrong impression. She walked away from the place as the love beds have at each other. And when he had spoken about the day he pretended to be drunk, she felt a cold chill run down her spine. She tensed listening to him say every horrible thing she had said to him. It was a joke. She didn’t know he wasn’t drunk. If she had known, she wouldn’t have been so mean.

Logan was a lazy drunk. Whenever he got wasted, he never remembers a single thing of what happened the whole time. Sometimes, he passed out. That was Logan Thames for you. She had said everything she said thinking he was wasted. She didn’t mean any of it. The funniest thing was she had fallen in love with him right after. It was the reason she pushed Evan to him.

Maybe she had really outdone herself this time. Perhaps it was time to let go of Logan and give other men a chance. Almost in tears, she ran out of the office. For a while, she sat in her car, crying. She was the victim here. She was the victim. I was in love but shied away from it. If only I had been bold like him.

Finally, while she wiped her face, her phone started to ring. It was Stanley. At first, she ignored the call. But then again, what better way to get over this than with another man. Smiling sweetly, she picked the call. “Hey Stan.” she said into the phone. By the time the call ended, she managed to get him to agree to meet her at her favourite bar. It was easy to get him to tag along anyway. He had been trying to have her go out with him for months now. He readily jumped to the offer.

She didn’t bother changing her outfit knowing she’d do so after sweating it out with Stanley. She started the car and drove around the city first to clear her head. When he called that he was at the bar, she started towards the place.

With a shrug, she walked into the bar an hour later and smiled at her prey. He would do just fine for what she had in mind. He was well-muscled and looks fit enough. “What are you having?” She asked, taking the seat beside him.

“A mix with Heineken” he replied with a broad grin.

“Good choice.” she said.

*****

Once in the room, Mary pushed the man into the bed and gave him a wicked grin. He was wasted, just the way she hoped. Only then could he be dominated. She had noticed he would be domineering in the bedroom given the chance. At the bar, he had kept asking while she wanted to see him all of a sudden when for months he had been after her.

“Well.” she licked her lips and ran down her hand over his suede trouser. It was pointless saying with words politely what she wanted. Words couldn’t express her cravings. She could only show him.

His eyes had widened at the realization of her needs. “I see.” he said, leaning closer to her ears, “A good fuck? I’m the best man for the job”

She had laughed and listened as he said all the things he would do with her. Most of it was about him riding atop her. It got her horny and wet, but she was in no mood for that. She wanted crazy, fire, sparks, not someone dishing her crumbs. Before taking chances with him, she whispered in his ears how naughty she could be too while eyeing his growing dick. She leaned towards him and rubbed his dick while pretending to be talking to the barman. Only she did a terrible job of it. Anyone sitting beside them could easily see what she was up to. Satisfied he was well endowed; she went on to phase two; getting him submissive enough.

“Drinks” she called. The man soon filled their glasses, again, and again. While she poured hers away, he drank all his. Seeing him well drunk enough, she knew it was time to head home. The wait had been unbearable.

She had gotten him in her car and driven them straight home. Now, they were both in her red room as Logan liked to tease her. With Stanley visibly wasted on her bed, she recalled the day she had shown Logan her new pastime. He had been so shocked at the things she indulged in.

“Well I’m bored with old sex styles.” she purred in his ears, “I want new”

“This is insane.” he said walking into the room. “Wherever did you get this lame idea from?”

She rolled her eyes as he stared at her vibrators. “It’s the new age, Logan.” she slapped his hand away from the toys as he was about to pick one of her vibrators. “With these babies, I need no man for a good fuck” she picked a vibrator and turned it on.

“That’s not the real thing” he mocked and turned towards her shelf.

“It’ll just do. this.” she shoved the blue one in his face, “It’s the exact shape of Toby” she laughed, “So, Toby he is” Toby was her latest catch. He was a tough guy, but good in the sack. The issue was getting him for a good fuck was a problem. He was always at work and since she could never get enough of him, she had gone shopping for his exact shape. She laughed now as she thought of the things she’d like to do right now.

“They have a name?” he said turning back to her.

Laughing at the shocked look on his face, she went on to tell him the names of half the toys.

“You’re insane.” he said, looking away from the sickening things. His attention was drawn back to the shelf. He realized now it’s a wardrobe shelving different crazy outfits. The instant he saw the thongs, he shut back the wardrobe firmly. He started towards the room and stared at every tool. Pulling out a drawer from the cabinet beside the bed, he saw some flat pins with little chains sticking out one ends and reached for them wondering what they were.

“Those are butt plugs.” she said, and he withdrew his hands.

“Jeez, and the eggs?” he asked, staring at some spherical items beside them “They’re vagina tugs”

“Really!” he laughed “You throw those pretty things in your girl’s VG and she’d be crazy for your D all day”

“Wow, language please.” he said, waving her off with his hands, “I’m never pushing anything into anyone”

“Your loss.” she said, closing the chest.

He stared at the whips, knowing what those are for but never understanding the idea. “Why would someone need to be flogged before enjoying sex?” he asked amused. When Mary tried to explain, he told her not to bother. “Just see it as a rhetorical question.” he said, “I know the answer to that. I just think it’s messed up.” Having seen enough, Logan had turned to her and held her by the shoulders. “My friend.” he said with amusement and laughter, “This is one hell of a room. It’s the freaking red room”

There was nothing red about the room in itself. But the things he saw there made him labelled it the red room. He had left the room that day but couldn’t get his mind off the things he had seen. For some weeks, it was all they spoke about. He never stepped in the room again, but once, he had said he wanted to try out something done in that room. Though he never spoke about it anymore, she felt he was into some kinky stuff, maybe just not deeper like hers. That was the reason she had chosen to meet him in the red room at that bar that night. She had been hoping that since his interest had been spiked, she could somehow spice things up. Only he had walked out on her.

“Why red room?” she had asked some other day they had spoken about the room. “Fifty shades?” The movie had given this kind of sexually equipped room a good tag to it. And the room had been painted Red too, further pinning the name.

“That and the fact that it’s a dangerous zone in here”

Sighing, she stared at her vibrators of varying sizes standing proudly on the big cabinet behind the door. Across the door were whips, also of different types; long, twisted, metallic. A wardrobe was in a corner housing different outfits she changed into. Tonight she ignored the outfit. She was in no mood for a dress-up. On the mini wardrobe were the masks. She loved her mask. With them, she lived to her muse for the party. Since Logan’s one visit, she had added some other tools to her collections.

There were handcuffs on the four corners of the bed. These were not there then. With the cuffs, she held Stanley captive. The wasted man jerked his head and smiled sheepishly. “Uuhh” he drawled drunkenly. “I like”

Something about his grin told her he would have been a willing participant if sober. Perhaps another time. But for today, she had seen enough of his face. Reaching for one of the masks, she covered his face with it. Getting him undressed was easy, she had done discarded his clothes before getting him into bed. What was left was his wristwatch and neck chain which she intentionally left there. It made the man attractive to her. She undressed hastily and climbed in bed after him.