The Case of the Ex II

The Case of the Ex II
Reggie entered the office with a determined look on his face. Arianna knew Reggie was not in the mood, and she needed to be honest and upfront with him.
“Get to talking.”
“That was the ex that I’ve mentioned before.”
“Which one? The ginger?”
“No, Pierce.”
“Oh, wow, Ava. You mentioned that your ex was a “little” older. That man has some years on you. How did you two meet, and why were you trying so desperately to get away from him? He didn’t abuse you, did he?”
“God, no. Nothing like that, but it’s a long story. But before I get into the story, I have a confession to make.”
“Okay...let’s hear it.”
“My name isn’t really Ava.”
“What do you mean your name isn’t really Ava?”
“My name is Arianna Carter. I changed my identity when I moved to California,” Arianna confessed.
“So...you’ve been lying to me?”
“Yes, and I’m sorry if I hurt you, but there are people in Texas who would stop at nothing to find me. Honestly, I didn’t want to be found. I wanted a fresh start.”
“Maybe we should continue this conversation on the jet,” Reggie suggested.
“That might be best.”
Arianna remained silent as a church mouse as Reggie finished up his paperwork. She answered the barrage of text messages she received from Patrick. She didn’t have the energy to answer him and told him she would call later.
Three hours later, the couple boarded the Stevens’ jet. Arianna waited until they were wheels up and at cruising altitude before she launched into her history with Elite SA, Pierce, Patrick, the Vanderbilts, Harry, Dr. Moreno, and what led to her taking off to California.
“I’m so, so, so sorry that I lied to you about my identity and my past, especially when you’ve been so forthcoming, but I didn’t want my past to find me. At least not right now.”
“Arianna, we’ve been dating for eight months. When were you going to decide to tell me?”
“Truthfully, I don’t know. Are you mad at me?”
“I’m not mad at you, but I am disappointed. I can understand your reasoning...sure...but it makes me wonder if you’re hiding anything else from me.”
“That’s it. I swear,” Arianna lied. She wouldn't tell Reggie about how she greenlighted her parents’ death. She had to take that to the grave.
“I’m upset.”
“I know be-”
“I’m upset because you had such a beautiful name,” Reggie replied with an easy smile. “You could’ve done much better than Ava.”
“I had to think quickly on my feet.”
“Not quick enough, apparently. May I say that I’m impressed with your ninja skills? Rolling underneath a truck? That was very 007 of you.”
“I was trying to save us all from the awkwardness. Not to change the subject, but I’m feeling pretty grimy from crawling and rolling around on the ground. I’m going to take a shower. Do you want to join me?”
“I suppose. You do have some making up to do.”



“You two are so adorable,” Jynelle gushed at Reggie and Arianna’s firefighter costumes with a sexy twist. Arianna’s outfit was comprised of a sensually cut mini latex dress with fishnets and latex high-heeled thigh-high boots. Reggie’s was less sexy and looked like a traditional fireman costume; however, he was shirtless under his suspenders.
“Thank you, Bonnie,” Arianna giggled. Unsurprisingly, Jynelle and Dallas were Bonnie and Clyde. It was...fitting.
The couples took several pictures and headed to the Giants’ annual Halloween party in the limo Jynelle hired.
“I gotta warn you, Arianna. The WAGS are all vicious and swear up and down that you want their men. Don’t be surprised if you have to take your earrings off.”
“Thanks for the heads up, but I can handle myself. I’m not a stranger to these types of situations. I had to deal with jealous wives from time to time at the club.”
“Alright. Just let me know if you need backup.”
“Don’t worry, Nelle. I have her back,” Reggie interjected, passing a glass of champagne to Arianna.



“I’m officially cutting you off,” Reggie shouted to Arianna over the loud music as he attempted to take her glass of champagne from her. Arianna quickly downed the glass before Reggie could snatch it from her. “Real cute. Don’t let me see you with another glass. I need to go to the bathroom. Wait right here. Don’t move.”
Reggie left and returned less than five minutes later, and Arianna was gone. Reggie nervously scanned the room until he caught Arianna sandwiched between Jynelle and some other drunk girl on the dancefloor. Reggie groaned when “Hot Girl” started playing. It was one of Arianna’s favorite songs. He found that out when he walked into the kitchen one morning and found her twerking to the song while cooking him breakfast.
Arianna was quickly becoming irritated. She was trying to enjoy herself by dancing to one of her favorite songs, but both her and Jynelle kept receiving disgusted looks from some of the WAGS. It wasn’t their fault that they didn’t know how to throw it back, and they couldn’t keep their man’s attention. Arianna and Jynelle were both satisfied with their partners and weren’t looking at their men.
Arianna felt someone shoving her from behind and chose to ignore it. She chalked it up to the dancefloor becoming more crowded, but she was sorely mistaken when she was shoved so hard that she fell to her knees. Jynelle didn’t hesitate to throw a punch and connected with the offender. That woman’s friends jumped Jynelle, and Arianna had to respond. Arianna wasn’t one for fighting, but she knew where the kidneys were and was punching bitches left and right in their kidneys.
Arianna felt someone grab a fistful of her hair and yank her back. Reggie was about to run into the fray when Dallas stopped him.
“Don’t go ruining shit. I haven’t seen my wife fight in a long time. Let them have it out.”
“Jynelle might be a fighter, but Arianna isn’t!”
“Are you sure about that?” Dallas asked, pointing in Arianna’s direction.
Reggie winced when Arianna delivered a vicious elbow to her attacker’s nose. The woman instantly released her to cradle her bleeding nose with her hand. Arianna ran back to save Jynelle and jumped on one woman’s back until they both fell to the ground.
At this point, men started jumping in to protect their partners, forcing Dallas and Reggie to jump in. The dancefloor soon became a brawl, and the fight didn’t stop until security separated them. Arianna was still trying to fight a girl while Reggie was dragging her away. She yanked Reggie’s fireman hat off his head and threw it at the woman. Reggie had to stop and laugh when the helmet struck the woman in the head.
Ten minutes later, everyone was piled back into the limo.