As promised, Dr. Prince left the room for about ten minutes, leaving me alone with JoJo, and the entire time, I wept uncontrollably. Seeing her like that, lifeless in the hospital bed with all of those needles stuck in her arms, a tube down her throat, and a respirator helping her breathe, simply proved to be too much for me. I couldn’t bear the thought of losing her. Not like this.
Once the director of the DCF returned, I excused myself to go back out to the waiting room, where Oliver and Seth were huddled up talking and Effie stood off to the side on her phone. As soon as Oliver saw me turn the corner, he jumped up and came straight to me, wrapping me in his strong arms, offering me comfort the only way he knew how. I repeated to them the information I’d been given and my plan to stay at the hospital for the foreseeable future, and as much as I knew he didn’t want to make the call, Seth dialed up Colin and explained to him what had happened, in which he then asked to talk to me.
“I’m so sorry, Monroe. I wish I could be there for you right now, sweetheart. I love you so much,” he said as soon as I got on the phone, triggering another round of waterworks as I not only thought about JoJo’s critical state, but also about the guilt that weighed on me for keeping Oliver a secret from him.
For a long time, Colin was what made my life worth living. He was my happy place, my shining star. Colin loved me when I didn’t know how to let someone love me and had never let me down. I never set out to hurt him, but at this point, it seemed inevitable.
“I’ll be okay,” I assured him once the tears let up. “Please don’t worry about me. You need to concentrate on the game today. I’ll be here when you get back tomorrow. Just say a little prayer for JoJo.”
After we talked a little longer and said our goodbyes, the phone call ended and I thanked Seth and Effie for everything, letting them know they didn’t need to hang around the hospital. In typical Seth-fashion, he hugged and kissed my cheek, insisting if I needed anything else to let him know, but strangely, before he stepped away, Seth smiled at Oliver and reiterated, “If she needs anything at all, no matter how small, you call me. You’ve got my number now. She’s not to be alone, like we talked about.”
Oliver tipped his chin in agreement and extended his arm in Seth’s direction. “You have my word, man. Thanks again for saving us with the purse, and I’ll make sure she gets home safely tonight.”
My already-frazzled mind couldn’t quite comprehend what that was all about, and before I could shoot either of them a questioning look, Effie appeared in front of me, looping her arm around my neck and pulling me into a hug. A very un-Effie-like thing to do.
“Me too, Monroe. Whatever you or Oliver needs,” she repeated her brother’s sentiments. Moving as if she was about to leave, she stopped and turned around then smiled hesitantly. “Oh hey, I saw your ticket for the game today sitting on your bar when I grabbed your purse earlier. Do I need to do anything with it? Contact the Pat’s front office or anything?”
“No.” I shook my head, having not even thought about anything as miniscule as that with the severity of everything else going on. “I don’t think there’s anything they can do, unless you know someone who’s going to be in Denver tonight.”
Her eyes flickered with hope. “Actually, I was toying with the idea of catching a last-minute flight out there. I just checked online and there are seats available on the flight you were scheduled for. That is, if you don’t need me for anything around here today or tomorrow.”
“Yes, of course, you can use it. I’m sure Colin would appreciate having at least one of us there to support him,” I replied with a faint smile. “Just get Seth’s house key and let yourself in to get it then return it to him later. I’ve got several extra jerseys hanging in my closet if you want to borrow one of those too.”
“Thank you so much!” The hope in her eyes transformed into giddiness. “You have no idea what this means.”
“love is many things and
sometimes we are never
really sure if it even
exists, but all I know
is that if you were to
show me her soul
in a photograph
I wouldn’t even ask
to see the other”
–Christopher Poindexter
Oliver
I KEPT MY promise to Seth and didn’t leave Monroe’s side the entire day. Over fourteen straight hours at the hospital—a roller coaster of ups and downs as JoJo’s body continued to fight through the drug poisoning—we were both drained and depleted by the time I shifted the car into park inside her garage a little before midnight. Walking from her car to the door was like a trip through quicksand wearing combat boots, and as my mind began fantasizing the pillow-top mattress waiting in her room, my stomach roared to life, reminding me that I still needed to eat something.
“Got it. First stop, food,” she teased as she unlocked the door and stepped inside. “Though I hate to tell you I don’t have any of that junk food you like in the house.”
“I’m so hungry I probably won’t even taste whatever it is I eat. I just need to nourish my body enough that it allows me to sleep at least eight hours,” I replied as I fell in step behind her down the tiled hallway that led to the main area of the home.
Only the second time I’d been to her house, the night before being the first, I was still a little in awe of the place as we traipsed through the living room and breakfast area to the gourmet kitchen. I couldn’t believe when she’d told me that Colin had designed and decorated the majority of the rooms, because like most people—or what I assumed most people thought—I didn’t visualize a big, macho NFL player dabbling in the world of interior design during the off-season, but apparently I needed to stop judging books by their covers.
“BLT good with you?” Monroe asked as she unloaded an assortment of ingredients from the fridge to the countertop. “I probably won’t be working my ass out anytime in the near future, so I might as well eat some bacon to really make it fun.”
“Absolutely,” I agreed, strolling up behind her and palming her butt cheeks. “Plus, I plan to work this ass out plenty in the near future, so no worries, beautiful girl. You should make it double bacon.”
With a soft chuckle, she rolled her eyes. “You’re so silly, Ollie.”
The sound of her laughter, as light as it was, swelled in my chest after having watched her cry on and off throughout the day, and I couldn’t resist the urge to scoop her up in my arms and kiss her senseless. It had killed me to watch her so distraught and unable to do anything to fix it, and then on top of that, because we were in public all day, I had to limit the amount of physical comforting and affection I could show her in case someone was watching.
After the close call with Effie at both the MH house and at the holiday party, Monroe and I had made an extra effort to appear as platonic as possible while in public—though the more in love we fell with each other, the harder it became. Effie never mentioned anything about either of the occurrences, as I’d managed to make up a story on the spot about why I’d returned to Boston early when I’d ran into her at the aquarium that night, but afterward, there were times when Monroe and I would be talking about work stuff and I’d notice her eavesdropping from another room or eyeing us suspiciously. I never said anything to Monroe, because I didn’t want to cause a rift between her and her assistant. Besides, once everything was worked out with Colin, Effie would find out eventually.
We just needed to hold out for two more weeks . . . because, of course, the Patriot’s had won in Denver earlier that night. It was as if the more I rooted for them to lose, the better they became, and my negative energy had propelled them straight to the Super Bowl. I knew there was a reason I didn’t like sports before all this.
Once I’d pressed my lips to every square inch of her face and neck, I finally lowered her back to the ground to let her resume the sandwich-making, which I assisted with by slicing tomatoes and washing lettuce. We ate without much talking, the weight of the unknow
n with JoJo still hanging heavily over our heads, and after the mess was cleaned up, Monroe decided to boil some water for a nighttime herbal tea she claimed would help us rest better. I had no doubt the second my head hit the pillow, I’d be out like a light, but if she wanted one and thought it would help, I was more than happy to appease her and drink some of it.
“Come here, love. Let me try to massage some of that tension out while we wait.” I motioned for her to follow me into the living room where I plopped down on the oversized couch and she subsequently sat cross-legged on the floor in front of me.
She melted into my firm touch while I kneaded deep circles in the taut muscles around her neck, shoulders, and back. The small moans escaping her barely-parted lips involuntarily prompted a rise behind the zipper of my jeans, and by the time my fingers inched their way up into her hair, working her scalp and behind her ears, my dick was rock-hard and throbbing.
Leaning back into the pressure, her head rested right up against my crotch, and although my initial intentions were solely focused on helping her relax, my shaft twitched at her closeness. I groaned and shifted my legs in an attempt to reposition her, but instead of moving away from my erection, she turned around to face me, pushing up on her knees so that her mouth hovered directly over my cock.
“Looks like you need some stress relief too,” she murmured, allowing her lips to graze across the raised denim, her emerald eyes heavy with a mixture of exhaustion and arousal.
I hissed in response, my self-control no match for the breathtaking sight she was, kneeling in front of me, bathed in the iridescent moonlight streaming in from the glass patio doors. “Fuck, Monroe,” I rasped as I clung to the last few threads of resolve I had left. “You’re so goddamn beautiful. You have no idea what you do to me.”
“Then show me,” she whispered while her mouth traced the outline of my bulge, our gazes locked on each other’s the entire time. “Help me forget today. Even if it’s just for a little while. Make love to me, Ollie.”
An equal-part combination of love and lust stormed through me and I snapped, succumbing to my carnal needs and the irresistible desire to please her. Whatever my Rizzo wanted, I gave her.
We lunged at each other, colliding in a feverish, frenzied kiss, complete with tangling tongues and gnashing teeth. The overwhelming fatigue I’d felt only minutes prior was replaced with sensual adrenaline jetting through my veins. Our impatient hands tugged, yanked, and jerked at our clothes until we were both fully undressed and left with no barriers to explore each other’s body.
Scooting back on the sofa, I pulled her down on top of me so that she was straddling my lap and her slick warmth was nestled snug against my cock. The shrill whistle of the kettle pierced the air as I drew one of her nipples into my mouth, sucking hard and flicking the rosy bud with my tongue, but neither of us cared a damn thing about the tea any longer. Monroe closed her eyes and whimpered, knotting her fingers in my hair while grinding against my length.
“Yes . . . yes . . . yes,” she mumbled over and over, losing herself in our connection. “That’s it. Feels so good.”
As I switched the attention of my mouth to her other nipple, I grabbed hold of her hips and lifted her up so that I could lower her down onto my shaft. Watching her ride me while I played with her tits had to be in the top three of my most favorite things to do ever, but just as my tip glided through her slippery folds and found the heat of her core, the neighbor’s dog began barking and growling out back, loudly and persistently. I tried to ignore it at first, focusing on the exquisite woman in front of me and all of the ways I could make her feel incredible, but after a couple of minutes of the high-pitched yapping, I stilled and shook my head with a frustrated chuckle.
We both peered outside the glass doors to see if we saw anything unusual, and I asked, “Any chance he’ll stop anytime soon?”
“Doubtful. All the people out celebrating the win probably have him all riled up.” She smiled and pressed a soft kiss to the corner of my mouth. “But we shouldn’t be able to hear him in my room. Let’s go upstairs.”
“What about the tea?” I questioned, glancing toward the kitchen.
With a wicked smirk, she wiggled her ass and whispered, “Screw the tea. You’re all I need to put me to sleep.”
Pushing to my feet with her wrapped securely around me, I didn’t need to be told twice. I stopped briefly to turn the stovetop off, and then less than a minute later, I was flat on my back in her bed, gazing up as she bounced up and down on my shaft and rolled her hips in perfect little circles. The only noises to be heard were the moans, grunts, and pleadings from the two of us as we chased our release and climaxed together, breathlessly and magnificently. Afterward, I cleaned us both up and ran downstairs to grab our clothes strewn about the living room then crawled back into her bed and snuggled her as close to me as humanly possible, reminding her of how much I loved her.
We fell asleep shortly thereafter, only to be awakened a handful of hours later to the sound of someone pounding relentlessly on the door downstairs.
“i wanted what we had together to
burst into a display of iridescent
shooting stars, but we all know
how piercing the battle of wants
and happenings can be.
in the rubble i became,
i thought;
‘love is just as much
of a poison as it is
a victory.’”
–Christopher Poindexter
Monroe
“WHAT IN THE world are you doing here so early? And why are you at the backdoor?” I grumbled as I opened the French doors to let a distraught-looking Seth inside.
Having only thrown on a silky robe in my haste to discover who in the hell had been banging on the door at the early morning hour, I wrapped my arms tightly around my chest to conceal myself as best as possible while I waited for him to explain his unannounced visit.
“Effie still has my key or I would’ve let myself in, and it’s time to wake up. We have a problem,” he replied tersely, glancing in the direction of the stairs then back at me. His eyes burned something fierce. “Where is Oliver? Is he still here?”
Confused and concerned, I cocked my head to the side and narrowed my gaze on him. “W-what?” I sputtered. “What are you talking about, Seth? What’s going on? What problem?”
Unzipping his coat, he retrieved a handful of daily tabloids he had stuffed inside it and threw them down on the coffee table, a deep scowl etched into his face. “That’s what I’m talking about, Monroe,” he gritted out through clenched teeth, pointing down at the picture on the front page of all of them. “That’s the fucking problem!”
My entire body began to shake and I fell to my knees as a blown-up photograph of me and Oliver from the night before, naked and intimate on the couch, in crystal-clear focus, stared back up at me. With my attention directed straight at the camera, there was no doubt it was me in the picture, and Oliver, who had my breast captured in his hands and his mouth on my neck, wasn’t facing the lens, but his eyes were cut in the direction of the hidden photographer as well. After reading the first two headlines, “Sundance Wife Celebrates Pat’s Win Without Clutch” and “Cassidy Wins on Field, Loses in Life,” my vision blurred with a surge of tears spilling over my bottom lid and down my face.
Seth dropped down next to me and circled his arms around my shoulders, pulling me into his chest. “Baby girl, I know you’re upset, but I need you to gather yourself right now. We’ve got a shitload of damage control to do right now. I take it you haven’t heard from Colin?”
I pulled away slightly to answer him, but I was unable to stop my body from shivering, even though my face and stomach both felt like they were on fire. I couldn’t believe it. After the shitty hand I’d been dealt when I was a kid, to persevere and finally find love and be comfortable with my sexuality, all to be violated once again . . . intimate photos of me, moments only meant to be shared with one person, viewed by millions.
It had to be a terrible nightmare. The humiliation alone threatened to suffocate me.
“Monroe, stay with me.” He waved his hand in front of my face to get my attention. “Colin hasn’t tried to call that you know of?”
“No, I was going to get a new phone this morning. We were at the hospital all day yesterday, so I didn’t get a chance to replace the one I broke.”
“Where’s Oliver? Still here?”
“I’m right here.” Oliver’s agitated voice cut across the living room as he emerged from the staircase in his rumpled t-shirt and jeans, clipping at a fast pace toward me on his bare feet. “What in the hell’s going on? Why is she hysteric—” He stopped dead in his tracks the moment he saw the magazines, his unbelieving eyes swinging from the photos to me, then back to the photos. “Holy shit.”
Seth stood and allowed Oliver to take his place next to me, cradling my body against his. “Holy shit is right. I went for a run first thing this morning and saw those outside the first newsstand I passed. When you check your phone, you’ll see I tried calling you, but I figured you guys were passed out cold after yesterday, so I sprinted straight back home and headed over here.”
Oliver and I remained speechless. It was if my brain refused to believe the black-and-white evidence lying right in front of me. I didn’t know what to say or do. My world was crumbling down around me and I couldn’t move.
“Okay, guys, we’ve got three separate issues we need to deal with,” Seth continued, thankfully taking the lead. “I’m assuming you haven’t told Colin?”
“Hold on, man. I know we’ve got a lot to talk about, but give us a minute or two to catch our breath,” Oliver clipped.
Whispering sweet sentiments about how much he loved me and how we’d get through everything together, Oliver rocked me back and forth in his arms until I was able to somewhat get my shit together.