Lisa sat at the police station waiting for Dorian to be released with Mona and Ray. She looked at her watch. 5 a.m. Smothering another yawn, she jumped up and began pacing again for the umpteenth time. When the desk sergeant shot her an irritated look, she sent it right back to him before ignoring him completely. 

Keith had already gotten word to them that Dorian was being released so what was taking so long?? She was on the verge of asking the sergeant just that when a door opened and Dorian walked out followed by Keith. Lisa ran anxious eyes over him. She'd brought another shirt for him to put on, and other than looking a little tired, he was all in one piece. Relief washed over her in waves.She ran over to Dorian and jumped into his arms, circling his neck as tightly as she could. 

“Are you alright?” she whispered against his chest. 

Dorian nodded as he held her around the waist. “I’m fine. It’s okay.” 

“I was so scared. Dorian, I’m so sorry. I know this is all my fault and–”

“Hey…” He gently pulled her back and shook his head. “Let’s just get out of here. I want to get home and wash the filth of this place off me.” 

Lisa nodded and wrapped her arms around his waist. He held her to him by keeping an arm over her shoulders while hugging Ray, then Mona with the other.

Dorian looked at Ray. “So how bad is it out there?” 

“It’s bad.” Ray reached for the shades and baseball cap he'd brought with him and put them on.He and Dorian had been mistaken for brothers instead of cousins for as long as they could remember. He would act as a decoy to distract the reporters and lead them to the Mercedes Keith was driving in order to give Dorian and Lisa time to make it to an older, nondescript car that would be waiting to whisk them away. Mona would follow in her car. 

Things went off without a hitch. By the time reporters and the photogs realized that Ray wasn’t Dorian, Lisa and Dorian were well on their way. They didn’t say much on the ride home. Lisa left Dorian to his thoughts and contented herself with sitting up under him and resting her head on his shoulder.Thirty minutes later, they walked into the house. The family was waiting for them as soon as the door opened. Dorian’s mother wrapped her arms around him, shooting what seemed to be a hundred questions towards him all at once while everyone else waited on them to answer. Finally he told them that he needed to go and take a shower and get a little rest, promising he would go over everything with them later.Lisa followed him upstairs but instead of him going directly to their bedroom, he turned to the right and went to DJ’s bedroom to look in on him and kiss him softly on the cheek before going to Shania’s room and doing the same. Lisa stood in the doorway and watched, fighting back tears at the prospect of what her family would have to go through in the upcoming weeks. She was more grateful than ever that their parents were taking the children back with them. That way she and Dorian could concentrate on getting this mess straightened out. 

As they walked into the bedroom, Dorian headed straight to the bathroom to take a shower. Lisa stared at him as if trying to will him to say something to her, even if it was in anger. She couldn’t stand this silent treatment he was directing towards her. 

“Dorian.”He hesitated in the doorway of the bathroom then turned to face her. When she saw he still had nothing to say and was just going to wait on her to speak, Lisa searched her mind for the right words. When she couldn’t find them, he turned around and went into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. 

Lisa sat down heavily on the bed and dropped her face into her hands. She couldn’t believe this was happening. It just simply could not be happening. Not to them.Was this her fault?? Did she do this??

She felt like crawling into the bed and pulling the covers over her head to block out every single thing which had happened within the last four or five hours, but she couldn’t do that. Even though she hadn’t taken heed to her mother’s words last night about coming clean to Dorian, she planned on taking her advice now and not letting this wound that had been opened up get any worse than it was. 

Standing, she quickly took her clothes off and walked into the bathroom. The glass doors of the large shower stall were misty with steam. Sliding the door open, she saw Dorian standing there with his hands braced against the wall as hot water beat down on his shoulders before cascading down his back in a transparent curtain. 

He turned his head to look at her. Lisa held her breath as she waited to see if he would tell her to get out. When he just looked back down at the floor and closed his eyes again, she walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. They stood that way for a moment with her cheek resting against the hard, muscled expanse of his wide back.

Lisa pressed soft kisses along his spine before reaching around him and picking up the bottle of Calvin Klein Eternity shower gel. Slipping the loofah mitt over her hand, she squeezed a generous amount of the fragrant gel onto the glove and began to glide it over his neck and shoulders. She circled the fibered sponge over his left then right lat. 

Lisa loved this part of his back. She loved to grab onto it, joking that they looked like a pair of super wings ready to take flight. A smile touched her lips when she remembered how he always replied they were for her to hold on to while he tapped that ass and made her soar to new heights. Lisa shook her head at the corny reply…but damned if she didn’t hold on tight while he made her do just that. 

Soap covered his body as she moved from his back down to his ass and kneeled down to wash the backs of his hard thighs. Lisa thought about how he’d scoffed when she first bought the body wash and loofah mitt, saying real men didn’t use ‘girly shit’ like that, but when she’d replaced the empty bottle with another one, that too had quickly been used up without a word.

Standing up, she ducked under his arm, which he still leaned against the wall. She felt his eyes watching her as she poured more of the soap onto the mitt and began washing his arms and chest. His stomach tightened as the mitt lovingly kissed his skin, making the square muscles of his abs pop out in six-pack formation. 

Lisa dropped to her knees again and came face to face with the heavily, hung masterpiece of his dick. She swallowed hard, but forced herself to run the glove over the fronts and insides of his thighs, then shins, and finally his feet. As she stood up, she let her breasts brush over the tip of his dick, making it jump, knowing that its pussy wasn’t far behind. 

She glanced up at Dorian, quieting the moan that fought to shrill its way out of her when she saw how incredibly sexy he looked standing there with his thick eyelashes spiked from the water and his lips wet and slightly parted. He leaned down towards her, but Lisa ducked back under his arm.She hung the mitt back up on the stainless steel shower caddy before squeezing a silver dollar sized portion of the body wash in her palm. After rubbing her hands together to create a rich lather, she stepped behind him and ran her hands over his tautly muscled buttocks before slipping a finger between the tight crevice of his ass. 

Dorian tensed for a moment then relaxed as she ran the finger up and down what many men would consider a forbidden area before slipping her fingers down further between his legs until she got to the heavy sac of his scrotum. She gently fondled and weighed them in her hands before massaging them lightly until Dorian softly moaned. Dragging her fingers back and again along the crease of his buttocks, she then brought her hand around to the front. She lathered his pubic hairs then circled his shaft with soapy fingers.

Dorian slowly leaned his head back and looked up before closing his eyes as Lisa began to pump the length of his dick from behind using slow, firm strokes. 

“Yessss,” he hissed. His hips began to move in tiny, almost imperceptible circles, thrusting his dick in and out of the tight fit her hand made. 

Lisa’s thumb glided over the tip then tightened at the head, squeezing pre-cum out and mixing it in with the soap. She continued choking his dick with a loose wrist. His groans sounded louder and louder in the confined space of the stall. 

“Oh baby, yes….yes….yes…..” 

Knowing he was almost over the edge, she dropped to her knees and let her tongue follow the path her fingers had taken a few minutes ago. The moment she licked up and down the narrow opening, Dorian’s moans became guttural grunts. Never once letting up on stroking his dick, she pushed the tip of her tongue into his ass and moved it in and out in a rhythmic motion that matched the movement of her hand. Lisa let out small sounds of enjoyment as she drove him fucking crazy. And because he knew she was enjoying it, it made it that much better. 

“Fuck, Lisa!Awwwww shit, I’m ‘bout to cum. I’m ‘bout to cum, baby.”

Withdrawing her tongue, Lisa moved around and kneeled in front of him. She moved her hand out of the way so that his could come down and took over. He grabbed a handful of her hair and pulled her head back so that her face was upturned. His fingers tightened around the strands of hair. 

“Look at me…” he growled as he jacked his thick meat a few more times before tensing.Lisa opened her mouth and waited. Seconds later she heard him grunt as thick, white spurts of cum shot from his tip into her mouth. She swallowed quickly then opened her lips again until he’d jerked out the last remaining drop into her willing orifice. Beads of cum that landed on her cheek and chin were washed away by the streaming spray of water. 

When Dorian relaxed his grip in her hair, Lisa stood up and raised her face towards the water, smoothing the strands back before opening her eyes and looking at him. She raised her lips to his when he lowered his head to give her a slow, hungry kiss. 

Seconds went by before Lisa pulled back. She removed the showerhead and rinsed the remaining soap from his body, then turned the water off.Neither of them said a word as she followed Dorian out of the shower stall. He handed her one of the large, fluffy towels from the linen closet before getting one for himself. They dried off and walked back to the room. 

Lisa threw the mountains of pillows down on the floor then pulled the bedding back.Dorian sighed heavily as he lay down on his back. He moved his arm so that Lisa could snuggle up to his side and rest her head on his chest. He pulled her closer then kissed the top of her head. Moments later they were fell into a deep, exhausted sleep. 

****Hours later, Lisa's eyelids fluttered as she moaned in protest at the brightness of the room. She turned over and reached for Dorian, but he wasn’t there. Slowly opening her eyes, she saw that his side of the bed was empty. Blinking she leaned up on her elbow when she heard the low rumble of his voice before spying him standing by the window talking on his cell phone.The only piece of clothing he wore was a pair of jeans. Lisa could tell from the tense set of his shoulders that whoever he was speaking to wasn’t giving him good news. She sat up and leaned back against the headboard, pulling the sheet up over her breasts as she waited for him to finish.When he pressed the button to end the call, his shoulders rose and fell as he inhaled, then exhaled a long breath. He didn’t turn away from the window as he spoke. “I’ve been suspended.”Lisa gasped and covered her mouth with her hand as he continued.“Apparently, I violated the morality clause in my contract when I was arrested last night.”Lisa knew he was speaking of a provision in his contract that basically prohibited any actions in a player’s private life that the league would consider detrimental to the best interests of the team or the sport of baseball. Punishment for violations could mean anything from loss of salary to termination of his contract depending on the severity of the infraction. Endorsements and sponsors would probably be next. All in all, Dorian was, at the most, in danger of being forced out of a game he loved second only to his family. At the very least, the incident would follow him and tarnish an otherwise spotless athletic career.“Dorian. No…”He turned away from away from the window and wordlessly pulled out a pair of socks from his bureau before walking into the closet and coming out with a pair of athletic shoes. He sat down in the chair on the other side of the bed and began putting them on in angry, jerky movements.“On top of that, that fucking asshole had his lawyer contact Keith.” He walked to his dresser and took out a white tank top. He looked at her while pulling it over his head. “His punk ass is suing me for pain and suffering from ‘injuries’ I caused last night.”Lisa’s mouth dropped open. “What?!”Dorian nodded as he walked to the door. “I’m meeting with Keith in a couple of hours to try to…” He shook his head and sighed. “Fuck, I don’t know. Look, I’m going out back to hit a few balls.” Dorian had a batting cage built on the property behind their home. Lisa knew this was his way of working off stress.“Dorian.” With his hand resting on the doorknob, he turned to look at her. “I’m so, so sorry.”His eyes studied her for a moment, then held his hand out to her. “Come here.”Blinking furiously, Lisa scrambled out he bed and walked over to him.“I’m sorry, too.” Lisa looked up at him and started to shake her head, but he held a hand up to stop her. “Yeah, you could’ve handled this thing better, but then, so could I. I should’ve had a stronger hold on my temper last night. I knew better than that, it’s just…”Dorian looked past her, then chewed the corner of his lip. “That motherfucker thinks he’s smart. He knew I would go off if I saw him last night.”“This was his plan all along,” Lisa said with comprehension in her voice.Dorian nodded. “Yeah. One way or the other, he was going to find a way to get to me.” Trying to smile, he leaned down and gave her a quick kiss before opening the door. “Let’s just try not to worry about it for now. Keith doesn’t earn the type of money he does for nothing. He’ll work his magic and fix this shit somehow.” He winked at her and left the room.Lisa covered her face with her hands then slowly walked back over to the bed. She lost track of time as her mind went back years ago and played over a conversation she’d had with John right before he’d asked her to marry him. That crucial conversation was how she was going to take care of the mess she’d put them in.“You must have forgotten what I know,” she whispered aloud to herself. “Or else you don’t think I’d know what to do with it.”Standing up, she quickly walked to her closet to get some clothes to put on. She had a lot of calls to make. She would take care of this herself. Dorian didn’t need to have his hands dirtied and his professional reputation put at stake any more than John had already managed to do.John had mistaken the kindness she once felt for him as weakness–or stupidity. However, by the time she finished with him, he would know beyond a shadow of a doubt exactly who was smarter than whom.***Two days after Dorian’s arrest, Lisa drove to the hotel where John was staying. She tried to quell the persistent nervous tension she felt gnawing away at her stomach.She glanced at the clock on the dash. She didn’t plan on being long. The kids had flown home with their parents yesterday morning and Mona and Ray were coming over in about three hours. That gave her more than enough time to see John and do what she had to do. 

In her mind, Lisa went over what she intended to say to John. If everything went according to plan, and she had no reason to think at it wouldn’t, Keith should be getting word tonight that all charges against Dorian had been dropped. 

As the streetlight changed to green, she tapped her thumb against the steering wheel and let her thoughts wander back six years. She’d finally accepted John’s proposal several months earlier and was happily making wedding plans.That night, she’d been at her favorite restaurant in Chicago waiting on a couple of her friends to meet her for dinner and drinks. She’d gotten to the restaurant a little early and was sitting at a table as she perused the menu. All of a sudden, she’d seen someone sit down. Thinking it was one of her friends, she raised her eyes, but the smile on her lips died when she didn’t recognize the woman sitting in front of her... 

‘Lisa Miller?’

Lisa frowned when the woman called her name. ‘Uh…Do I know you?’Lisa’s voice was hesitant. She was very good with faces. She knew she’d never seen this woman before. She was a very attractive white woman with pale skin and long blond hair. 

‘No. But I know you. You’re engaged to John.’ 

Now Lisa sat back and lifted an eyebrow. To say she didn’t know this woman, the woman seemed to know a lot about her. ‘And you are….’
‘My name is Amy Grayson. That’s all you need to know. I’m here to do you a favor. Whether you listen or not is up to you, but I think its something you should know before you get married.’ 

Lisa’s eyes narrowed as she glanced around the dining room before bringing her attention back to the woman. ‘I don’t know what this is about and I don’t think I care. What I would like, though, is for you to get the hell away from my table.’ 

‘How well do you know your fiancé?’ The woman blatantly ignored Lisa’s request and continued as if she hadn’t even spoken. 

‘Excuse me? I really don’t think that’s any of your business. Now if you don’t mind–’ 

‘John and I have been in a relationship for the last three years, on and off. He recently broke things off with me for good, told me he couldn’t see me any longer because he was getting married…to you.’

Lisa held up a hand. The woman’s eyes went to the huge five carat ring that sparkled on her finger. ‘Look - Amy, did you say? I don’t know what this is all about, but I’d like you to leave. Now.’ 

Amy laughed. ‘You don’t believe me, do you? Were you aware that John has a son?’ 

Now the woman was reaching. Lisa laughed to cover how ticked off she was. She raised her hand to get the hostess’ attention to have the woman removed from the table. Crazy bitch! 

The woman reached in her purse and pulled out a wallet sized picture. ‘This is our son…John Richards III. Ask him. I dare him to deny his son to your face…’

****1024.…1028.….Room 1030Lisa knocked on the door, surreptitiously looking up and down the hall as she waited on him to answer. When a maid pushed a cleaning cart a couple of doors down, Lisa adjusted the large hat and shades she wore and turned her back. She was just getting ready to knock again when the door swung open. Impatiently glaring at him, she pushed the door open and walked inside.John watched her as she strode in with the sexy confident walk that had first captured his attention before anything else. His eyes never left the sway of her hips and slight bounce of her ass while closing the door behind her. Shaking his head, he didn’t know how a dress that covered her from her chest to the tips of her toes could be so sexy, but it was.The halter style bodice was fitted and lovingly cupped breasts that were fuller than he remembered. A tie looped around the back of her neck, leaving shoulders that looked oh so soft, provocatively bare. The rest of the multi colored, brown toned dress was cut to flow loosely over her body while at the same time gently caressing the swell of her hips and ass. Manicured toes in gold colored sandals peeked out from beneath the hem of the dress as she stopped and turned to face him, pivoting gracefully enough to put a model to shame with the attitude to go with it.John pulled his longing gaze away from her body when she began tapping her sandals in an irritable fashion. “Hello, Lisa. I know I told you Saturday night, but sweetheart, you look–”“Cut the crap, John.” Lisa took the hat off and fluffed her hair. She threw it on a chair along with her shades. “I’m not your ‘sweetheart, and you have some nerve even referencing Saturday night to me with a straight face.”John shrugged then winced in pain. He looked at Lisa, waiting on her to comment on the fact that his arm was in a sling and his puffy lip and eye sere horribly swollen.Lisa sucked her tongue against her teeth. “Please. Save it. Am I supposed to feel sorry for you? You deserve every ounce of - wait how did the lawsuit put it? Pain and suffering? That’s it. You deserve every ounce of pain and suffering my husband put on your ass.”“Well, I appreciate the sympathy, Lisa. I guess that thug of a husband of yours is rubbing off on you. I never knew you to be so cold and uncaring.”“You’re lucky that’s all he did. I warned you…several times, in fact. You had no business being there! If you had stayed away, none of this would’ve happened.” Her eyes narrowed as she folded her arms. “But then again, this is exactly what you wanted to happen, isn’t it?”“I’m sure I don’t know what you mean.”John walked over and poured himself a drink. When he raised questioning brows her way and gestured towards the decanter, Lisa rolled her eyes and turned her head away in answer. Picking up his glass, John walked over and sat on the couch. He laid his good arm along the back of the couch and crossed his legs as his eyes went over Lisa again.What irked him more than anything about the marriage that didn’t take place between them was the fact that he never even got a chance to fuck her. She held out on him for almost a year, telling him she wanted to wait until they became man and wife. He’d masturbated many a nights with the fantasy of how tight that sweet pussy of hers would be that she’d allowed him to taste on occasion…“If you’re finished mentally undressing me with your eyes, I came here because I told you we needed to talk.”“Believe me, sweetheart, I was doing more than undressing you in my mind, but okay. What, pray tell, would you like to talk about?”Lisa saw the self-satisfied set of his mouth as he settled back against the couch.Pompous ass. Probably expects me to beg and plead with him to drop the charges against Dorian.He brought the glass to his lips and watched her over the rim as his eyes danced with merriment. Lisa struggled to keep calm. She knew he wouldn’t find the situation so amusing in a few minutes.“First all answer one question: Why? Why are you doing this?” she asked.John didn’t pretend to not know what she was talking about. “Because I hate that arrogant son of a bitch, that’s why.”The words were casually said, but moments later, agitation crossed his features as he leaned forward and slammed the glass down on the table and began angrily pacing back and forth.“You were supposed to have beenmywife, Lisa.Iwas supposed to be living the life he’s living with you. The children you have should’ve beenourchildren. The bed you sleep in every night while he fucks you should’ve beenmybed.” He paused, letting his eyes drop to her breasts. “The way you looked at him that night….that’s how I want you to look at me. So you ask me why?That’swhy.” John’s eyes lifted and rested on her lips. “Lisa–”“Shut up. Just shut up! That is the biggest load of bull I’ve ever heard. You’re trying to ruin my husband’s career and reputation over delusional bullshit like that? Some fantasy world that you‘ve concocted in your mind all this time?” Lisa took a step towards him. “You want to know why it’s Dorian and not you? Because I never loved you anywhere near the way I love him. You never made me feel anything remotely close to what he makes me feel. It’s always been him. And that? That’s a fact that will never, ever change.”John’s head jerked back as his eyes shone with the hatred he felt for Dorian. “Well, then if I cant have you, I’ll make him suffer for this so called great love you have for him as well as the humiliation I had to go through when you dumped me at the alter in front of my family, friends, and business associates. See, I’ve done my research on your husband. I know aside from you, the other thing he holds dear is that game.” John’s lip curled up in disgust. “How a grown man gets paid in excess of $40 million dollars to hit a ball and run around a field six months out of the year is beyond me. By the time I finish with him, he’ll be lucky if they let him hold the position of bat boy.”Lisa shook her head in wonderment. She didn’t feel the slightest bit of guilt for what she was about to do. As a matter of fact, she looked forward to it. “Do you really think I’ll stand aside while you hurt my husband like that? While you hurt my family?”The smirk reappeared on John’s mouth. The suggestive leer on his face made Lisa nauseous. “What do you propose in return?” He lifted a finger and ran it up and down her arm. “I might be persuaded to drop this entire thing for the right incentive. But I’m warning you. It had better be good.”Lisa slapped his hand away. “Oh, the incentive is very good,” Lisa whispered, moving closer to him. Her lips parted and her lids lowered as she played with the buttons on his shirt. “John?”“Yes?” John’s voice was hoarse and eager. Nothing would make him deviate from his plans to ruin Dorian Bradley, but he wasn’t above letting Lisa think he would if it provided the opportunity to crawl between her thighs.“How’s John Jr.?”John’s body stiffened. “What?”“Your son? Jonathon. He should be, what almost nine years old? Ten? I bet your father is so proud…”****6 ½ Years Ago…‘Tell me, John. Was that woman telling the truth? Is this your son?!’Lisa had left the restaurant moments after the woman and gone straight to John’s high-rise condo. She held the picture up of the obviously bi-racial child who looked to be no older than two years old. He was a younger version of John.She’d taken him off guard and he couldn’t hide the telling expression of shock and surprise that briefly crossed his face before he managed to hide it…The same expression of shock and surprise was on his face now. He took a step back, then two as understanding filtered into his eyes. “You bitch.”Lisa tilted her head and smiled. She felt it. That exact moment when the vibe changed and the control in the room shifted. She had the upper hand. “That’s Mrs. Bitch to you.”John blinked rapidly and turned his back to regroup. Lisa reached into her purse and pulled out the envelope. Taking out the pictures, she shifted through them, making admiring cooing sounds.“Aww. He is so handsome. The spitting image of the Richards men in your family.” John turned around to see what she was talking about, then saw the photographs. “Yes, no denying him, is there?” Lisa looked up then frowned in fake concern. “Are you okay? You look a little peaked…”John had begged, pleaded, and cried that night. Lisa still didn’t know how she’d been able to get past his deceit. His family knew nothing about the child. He’d managed to keep his son’s existence a secret. Apparently, there was a provision in his father’s will, that if any of his children had a child out of wedlock, they would be disinherited. Their portion of the Richard’s fortune would be donated to a charity of his father’s choosing.‘Lisa, my lawyers have been trying to find a loophole for the last couple of years, but so far, they haven’t had any luck. Sweetheart, please believe me. I love my son. I love my son so much. But he deserves to have his share of his rightful inheritance just as much as anyone else. Honey, we’re talking potentially billions! Until I find a way to make that happen, my father can’t find out about him.'Eventually, Lisa had forgiven him. She’d believed him. He’d been nothing but sincere and caring from the first moment they’d met. She believed him when he said he would find a way around the provision in his father’s will so that he could publicly claim his son.****After she’d married Dorian, Lisa hadn’t given the situation another thought, but right after Dorian’s arrest, working on a hunch, she’d managed to track Amy Grayson down. Amy was now married and raising her son with her husband. Lisa heard the contempt in her voice when she’d told Lisa that other than child support, John had no contact with his son. She’d been more than happy to help Lisa.“John. This is what we’re going to do. You’re going to call your lawyer–right now, as a matter of fact–and you’re going to tell him you’ve changed your mind and you want to drop all charges against Dorian. ‘K? Otherwise, I place a call to your father and let him know about the grandson he's never known about.”“You fucking bi-”“Careful.” Lisa held a warning finger up, but her tone remained pleasant. “I’m not going to be too many more bitches.”John shot her a look that said everything he forced himself not to say. He snatched his cell phone out of his pocket. “How do I know you won’t tell my father anyway?”Lisa placed the pictures back in the envelope and dropped them in her purse. “Because that little boy deserves so much better than you, and he has that. He has a mother and a father who love him very much. There’s no way I would disrupt his life for a piece of shit like you.” She sat down and crossed her legs. “Make the call-now.”***Lisa sat listening to John wrap up the instructions to his lawyer. He glared at her the entire time while she sat back and studied the job her manicurist had done on her nails yesterday.When he hung up the phone, his voice was icy cold. “I’ve made the call. Now get the fuck out of my room.” 

Lisa had been reaching into her purse for her cell phone when she looked up after hearing his nasty tone. “I really don’t think you’re in a position to be making any kind of demand for anything. Do you?” 

John glared at Lisa and tightened his lips. Lisa glared back before rolling her eyes. She was pulling out her phone when John's cell phone rang. John slid a look her way then answered it.“Put it on speaker,” she ordered.

Sighing loudly, John complied then answered the phone. Lisa listened as his lawyer told him he’d called Dorian’s lawyer and informed him that all charges would be dropped ASAP. John barked a few more orders then hung up in the lawyer’s face.“Satisfied?” he sneered.Lisa stood up, smoothed her dress down then picked up her hat and shades. “If you try to back out or pull a fast one, I will contact your father with no hesitation? Do I make myself clear?” 

John looked as if he was getting ready to explode, but as Lisa stood there waiting, he reluctantly answered. “Crystal. You’re not worth it anyway. I hope you’ll be very happy with your ballplayer.” 

He spat out the word ‘ballplayer’ as if it were some kind of disease, and although the statement was meant to be sarcastic, Lisa deliberately smiled and nodded. “Oh, I will. Deliriously. We’re so happy we can hardly stand It.” 

She was pulling out her cell phone when a knock sounded at the door. Lisa looked at John as he walked over to answer the door. As soon as he did, she hear him utter ‘Shit! and try to close the door with his good shoulder.

Lisa frowned and took a step forward. “What the hell…” 

She let out a small cry when she saw John flying back and sliding to the floor from the force of someone pushing their way into the room. Her hand went to her chest when she saw Dorian standing in the doorway. He slammed the door then glared down at John.“D-Dorian…” She took a step back when the force of his glare was directed her way. “What are you doing here?” 

Dorian frowned and angled his head to the side as his eyes slowly traveled over her. “What am I doing here?” 

Lisa took a deep breath, but John interjected as he struggled to get up. “This is all very touching, but why don’t both of you get the hell out of my room before I-” Still on the floor, he scrambled backwards as Dorian swung around to him.“Before you what? Tell me. What the fuck are you gonna do?”

John held up trembling hand, cringing as the sprained arm that was in the sling bumped against he floor in his haste to get away from Dorian. “Look–”
“No, you look. What you’re gonna do is get up, sit your ass down over there, and shut the hell up. You understand that?”

“I–”

“Wait, what part of ‘shut the hell up’ didn’t you understand?”

John’s mouth snapped closed with an audible clicking of his teeth.Lisa couldn’t help it. A laugh burst out as she looked at John lying on the floor cowering in front of Dorian. “Now who’s the bitch?” 

John was livid. She could tell, but chancing another look at Dorian, he just pulled himself off the floor and walked over to the couch and sat down.“That’s a good boy,” Lisa smirked, but all signs of amusement left her face when she saw Dorian furiously glowering her way. 

His jaw jumped as he walked over to her and ran his eyes over her again. “You were supposed to call me. Twenty minutes. That’s all I agreed to. After that you were supposed call me.” He leaned down until they were face to face. “Do you not remember that?” 

Lisa leaned her head away as his face got closer. She looked at her watch. “It’s only been twenty-three minutes. And…” she quickly added, trying to head off the explosion she saw simmering in his eyes. She held her hand up and wiggled the cell phone. “I was getting ready to call you before you knocked on the door.” 

Dorian’s eyes left hers for a second and went to the phone. Somewhat pacified, he brought his hands up and framed her face. “Are you okay?” 

Lisa smiled and stood on tiptoe to give him a quick smack on the lips. “I’m good, baby. Everything went exactly according to plan.”The long breath Dorian blew out seemed to release the tension in his body as he visibly relaxed. He slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her to him. “I must’ve been crazy to even let you do this. Are you sure you’re okay?” 

Lisa nodded. “Yes, I’m fine.” She pulled back and looked at him. “I told you, just like there’s nothing you wouldn’t do to protect our family, I share that same sentiment. There was no way I was letting him get away with what he was trying to do to you.” Lisa looped her arms around his neck and kissed him again. 

“Oh, God…” John uttered in a low, disgusted voice.They both turned in his direction. Dorian’s eyes narrowed. He gently set Lisa away from him and went over to stand in front of John. “Did you say something?”John started to answer, then took one look at Dorian’s face and thought better of it. When he just turned his head, Dorian nodded. “That’s what I thought.” 

The ringing of the cell phone interrupted what he was getting ready to say next. Cutting his eyes away from John, Dorian looked at the caller ID and connected the call. “Yeah.” 

Lisa walked over and anxiously tried to read his expression as he listened to the other person on the line. After a few affirmative grunts, he hung up the phone and nodded once at Lisa. “That was Keith. It’s done. By the end of the day, everything should be ironed out, and with the charges dropped, my suspension should be lifted.” 

Lisa closed her eyes blinked back tears of relief. “Thank God. Baby, let’s go home.” 

“A great idea,” John drawled. 

Dorian shook his head. He looked at John as if he were shit beneath his shoe. “Tell me something, how can a man deny his own child? I don’t care how much money is involved. What kind of man does that?” 

John’s expression was one of nonchalance. “I can always have other children, but I’ll be damned if I give up my rightful inheritance for a bastard I didn’t even want to begin with.” 

Lisa inhaled sharply at the callousness of his words and Dorian looked as if he had to physically restrain himself from wrapping his fingers around John’s neck. Shaking his head, he slipped his arm around Lisa’s waist. “Come on. Let’s get out of here." 

They were halfway to the door when Dorian stopped and turned around. “Wait a minute. Did I understand correctly? Did you call you my wife a bitch?” He took a step in John’s direction, but Lisa pulled his arm to stop him. 

“Let me.” She walked over to John.He smirked and lifted his chin and pointed at it as if telling her to take her best shot. Lisa smirked back. Putting all her strength into the swing, she punched him directly on the arm in the sling. John howled in pain as he slipped to the floor on his knees, holding his injured arm. 

“And this is for your son.” She pulled her leg back and then brought it forward full force to kick him as hard as she could in the nuts. John fell over like a ton of bricks and looked as if he were going to pass out. 

Even Dorian winced. “Damn,” he whispered. 

Walking back over to him, she raised her brow and cheerfully asked, “Ready?” 

****Hours later, they stood in the front doorway of their home waving goodbye to Mona and Ray. The four of them had enjoyed a carefree evening as they celebrated the fact that Dorian was free and clear. They’d gotten the official word from Keith that all charges had been formally dropped.On top of that, according to their demands, a statement had been released to the press from John stating that the entire thing had been a grave misunderstanding and was blown out of proportion. He took full responsibility for the altercation and sent his sincerest apologies to the Bradley family. The manager of Dorian’s team had called and told him he’d see him first thing in the morning, bright and early.After Dorian closed the door, they walked back through the foyer and climbed the stairs with their arms around each other, slowly exchanging kisses. Out of the blue, a laugh burst out of Dorian. Lisa questioningly looked up at him with a smile.“What are you laughing at?”Dorian laughed again and wiped his eyes. “I was just remembering the way that asshole looked when he fell over after you kicked him in the nuts. Ouch!”Lisa’s smile widened. “You are so silly.” She walked into their bedroom and pulled him behind by the hand. “Enough about him. I don’t want to waste another moment thinking about him. Besides…we have more important things that we need to get started on, Mr. Bradley.” She pushed him down on the bed and crawled on top of him.Dorian groaned as he watched her sit up and straddle him before pulling her dress off and tossing it to the side. His hands slid up along her waist before covering her breasts.“Oh, I agree, Mrs. Bradley. It’s gonna be a long night.”EpilogueOffices of WKLBA week later, Lisa strolled confidently off the elevators, gliding across the floor like poetry in motion in the new pair of four inch Louboutin’s Dorian had surprised her with this morning. With the oversized shades firmly in place and her head held high, she ignored the stares and double takes directed her way. This wouldn’t take long.She stopped in front of Chantelle’s secretary’s desk “Hi. Lisa Bradley, here to see Chantelle Mitchell.”The secretary smiled. “She’s expecting you, Mrs. Bradley. You can go right in.”Lisa nodded and gave her a parting smile as she walked inside Chantelle’s office and closed the door behind her.Chantelle stood up and hurried around her desk to give Lisa an air kiss on both cheeks. “Lisa! How are you? I’m so glad things eventually worked themselves out for you.”Lisa’s voice was as insincere as Chantelle’s. “Thank you so much. And yes, things worked themselves out splendidly.”“Have a seat. How’s Dorian? You guys must be so excited. After last night's game, he now holds the record for most stolen bases in a season.”Lisa stiffened at the sound of Dorian’s name coming from Chantelle's mouth. She knew that the other woman had deliberately set events in motion at the nightclub hoping to have a shot at him. She pasted a saccharine sweet smile on her face and sang out, “Oh, he’s fine, and yes we're very excited.”Chantelle held a finger up as her phone rang. “Oh. Excuse me one moment.”Lisa nodded, and the moment Chantelle turned her attention to the phone call, the fake smile dropped. Lisa studied her with revulsion. She couldn’t stand two faced bitches like her. Chantelle was good. She’d give her that. Lisa was rarely fooled; she’d been in this game long enough to know that the majority of women couldn’t be trusted. The only thing she could think of was that she’d been so excited at the prospect of resuming her career, she’d allowed Chantelle to slip a fast one over on her.But she’d take care of that in just a minute...Lisa had learned a few things about Chantelle once she’d started asking around. The woman was a well known jump off of “balla’s” whose main goal it was to snag an athlete by any means necessary. Women like her schemed and sold their souls to get what they wanted and didn’t care who got hurt in the process.Many wives “adapted” and developed “coping skills” to deal with their husband’s infidelity. Paternity tests, endless phone calls from jump offs detailing how they’d fucked their man…Lisa knew women who went through that every day. To them, it was easier to just ignore it all than to risk having to give to give up the glamour, money, and prestige of being an athlete’s wife. They knew there was always a younger version just waiting in the wings to take their place. Thank God, she didn’t have to go through that with Dorian.Lisa brought her attention back to Chantelle as the other woman stood up. She stuttered and screamed in the phone before whoever was on the other line hung up on her. Chantelle just stood there staring at the phone and looking like an idiot.Lisa fixed a concerned expression on her face. “Is everything okay?”Chantelle looked at Lisa as if she’d forgotten she was even in the room. “I…I’ve just been let go.”Lisa stood up and adjusted her purse on her shoulder. “No, sweetie. Get it right. Your ass has just been fired.”Chantelle blinked in confusion as she tried to comprehend what Lisa was saying. “Excuse me?”“You heard me.” Lisa leaned over the desk and slowly enunciated the words. “Your luck just ran out. You fucked with the wrong bitch.”John having Chantelle fired as soon as Lisa gave him the word had been the last stipulation in their deal. Chantelle plopped down in the chair as she stared at Lisa. Using Dorian’s words, she continued. “I don’t play when it comes to my family–especially my husband. So use this as a reminder of what could happen the next time you try to fuck with someone else’s man.”Lisa spun on her heel and walked to the door. Throwing it open she called out over her shoulder: “Deuces, bitch.”Outside in the parking lot, Dorian stood leaning against his Porsche with his shades on. When he saw Lisa walking out the doors of the building, he got in the car and drove over to pick her up. She hopped inside and gave him a kiss before buckling her seatbelt.Dorian shook his head and smiled at his wifey. “Feel better?”Lisa crossed her legs and grinned. “Hell, yes.”Dorian threw his head back and laughed before speeding away.The End© 2017 S.K. HardyALL RIGHTS RESERVEDAll rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means without the written permission of the author. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.