Not for the Innocent

Jack woke up first and shook his head. Lisa sat up slowly and looked at me as if it were the first time she had seen me. Liam's hand fell from her breast as she rose.

"What's going on?" she asked then looked around. "Oh, fuck!"

"No!" Jack shouted. "Jimmy, it's not what you think."

I rushed over to him and hit him as hard as I could. It hurt, but seeing the blood run out of his nose made it worth the pain.

"Fuck you. Fuck all of you," I yelled.

My security guys rushed in and pulled me out of the room. I struggled to break free from them, but they didn't lighten up their grips at all.

When we got into my room, one of them stood in front of me, and the others rushed back out to keep Jack and Liam from getting to me. The shouting was insane. I couldn't make out a word anyone said.

"Tell John we're leaving," I said to my guard.

I took off my lounge pants and put on jeans and a t-shirt. I grabbed my wallet, phone, and passport while listening to the screaming coming from outside of my room.

Pleas of "it's not what you think," resonated through the house, but I wasn't having it.

"Keep them away from me," I said to my guys in the hall, and they pushed the offenders back into Lisa's room.

I rushed down to the waiting car and had John take me to the airport.

"Kim," I barked into my cell. "Get me a charter flight out of here. I need to get home immediately."

"Jimmy, what's wrong? Surely, it's not the pictures. You know Liam and Jack are safe."

"Yeah, except I found them and a naked Lisa in bed this morning. Shit! I can't believe she'd do this to me. I haven't even slept with her yet."

"Damn, Jimmy, I'm sorry. I'll book you a flight right away. I'll be in touch."

I ended the call and tossed the phone on the seat. It had been ringing non-stop since I left the house.

I looked out the window and wondered again what the hell I was doing falling for a woman that couldn't make up her mind if she wanted me. I was so stupid to open myself up to her. It didn't even take two days for her to cheat on me.

I took stock of my life, and I realized I was running after a ghost. I allowed myself to fall for her after giving up on her. I should never have been so dumb. I should have listened to Kim when she warned me. But even Kim couldn't have known how Lisa would've ended up betraying me. How my friends betrayed me.

*****

My plane landed in Los Angeles and Kim stood on the tarmac waiting.

"Jimmy, I'm so sorry," she said before hugging me tightly.

Her hug felt good, and I desperately needed one.

"Kim, have my things packed and shipped back. Tell the property manager I've left, and my former friends are not welcome there. Finally, cancel the airline tickets we have for all of them. They can find their own way home."

"Are you sure, Jimmy? Liam and Jack don't have that kind of money."

"Don't question me again!" I snapped and rushed into the waiting Escalade.

"Fuck!" I yelled and slammed my fist into the seat in front of me.

"You all right, Mister Mace?" the driver asked. "Yeah, just get me home."

I flexed my fingers and tried to will the pain away. I must've hurt it more than I realized when I hit Jack.

It took an hour to get to my house and I needed my ocean view. I needed my serenity to begin to heal my heartache. I wondered if I would ever open myself up to someone again.

Moments later, as I sat on my balcony, Kim sat beside me.

"Everything's handled, Jimmy. The property manager will kick them out first thing in the morning. I let Fairleigh's assistant know that you don't need the yacht any longer as well. Your security detail has all of your stuff and are on their way back."

"The tickets?"

She frowned, "I cancelled the tickets as well."

I knew she didn't approve of stranding them out there. I didn't care. Lisa's family had plenty of money and could get her home. I didn't care how my asshole former friends got home.

"What happened, Jimmy? I mean, I know what you told me but how?"

"I didn't feel well, so I asked Jack and Liam to take Lisa out. I was asleep when they came home, and the next morning, I found them in bed together. Liam had his hand on her naked breast."

"Could it have been innocent?" she asked. "Could they have just slept in the same bed innocently?"

I shook my head.

"Why would they sleep in her bed when there were plenty of other bedrooms. Why were they all undressed?"

Kim reached over and put her hand on my shoulder, "I'm so sorry. I'm here for you if you need anything at all."

"Thanks," I said. "I just want to be alone if that's okay?"

"Of course."

I looked at my phone, which hadn't been turned on since I boarded the plane. I knew I couldn't be offline for that long and decided to bite the bullet and listen to and read the messages.

They were exactly as expected. Denials, begging me to talk to them, assurances that nothing happened, and several voicemails of Lisa sobbing but saying nothing.

I decided to not surprise them and texted the three of them, "You're being kicked out tomorrow and I've cancelled your plane tickets. Rot in Hell."

I powered off my phone and tossed it onto the table. I didn't feel any better.

*****

"Jimmy, I made you some breakfast," Kim said from my bedroom doorway.

"You made me breakfast?" I teased.

"Yeah, jerk. I can cook."

"What did you make?" I asked as I stood.

Kim didn't take her eyes off of me as I walked across my room and opened my curtains. I realized Kim never saw me in just my underwear before. I was always careful to be dressed around her to avoid any sexual harassment accusations.

"My eyes are up here," I said grinning.

"Sorry. I, uh, just..."

"It's okay. I'm sorry I didn't sleep in pajamas. I'm not used to having overnight company here."

She turned and walked away. I laughed as I put on a shirt and shorts.

"Smells great," I said walking into the kitchen.

"It's just crepes. I also made strawberry sauce for them. I know you don't eat syrup, he who avoids sugar at all costs."

I sat and she set a plate of excellent looking crepes before me. I grabbed a banana and sliced it on top of them, then added the warm strawberries.

"Here, enjoy," she said after setting down a cup of coffee.

"Aren't you eating?" I asked as she started washing the pans.

"No, you go ahead. I'll have something later."

"Nuh uh," I retorted. "Sit and eat with me."

She sat and made herself a plate. I wondered why she was acting so shy; we'd spent plenty of time together. Granted, it wasn't alone in my home, but she was more than welcome there.

I watched her take a bite and it was clear she enjoyed it. She smiled as she tasted it, then caught me watching and turned her head.

"Don't be shy. It's your favorite, isn't it?"

She nodded.

"It's what I make when I'm upset. I figured I'd make it for you since you're upset. I love the recipe, it's my mom's."

"Everything is incredibly good. Thank you."

"Anything for you, Jimmy."

She realized what she said and started stammering again. I had to interrupt her and settle her down.

"Kim, what's going on? You're never like this around me."

"Sorry. I don't know. I guess it felt weird sleeping in your house, then seeing you nearly naked--it's, it's just a bit much for me."

I knew she had a crush on me, but this was strange behavior for her.

"I don't want to embarrass you, but it's pretty obvious you like me. I've known that for a long time."

She looked shocked. She dropped her fork and ran from the room.

"Well, I fucked that up," I said to the empty room.

I wondered if I should go after her. I had no idea how to handle the situation I'd put her. It would have been fine if I had never told her I knew, but it was too late at that point. I ate another bite of the delicious breakfast then decided to try to talk with her some more.

We bumped into each other as she hurried to leave, and I turned the corner out of my kitchen.

"Sorry," we said at the same time.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"I have to go. I can't work for you anymore."

I laughed and picked up her bag.

"Don't be stupid. There's no way I can get by without you."

"I can't stay. I'm so embarrassed."

"For crying out loud, Kim. You don't have to go. Like I said, I knew you liked me. Nothing has changed except you know I know. It's not a big deal."

"It is a big deal. You don't know how hard it is to work with you and feel the way I feel. You have no idea what I go through on a daily basis, and now I find out you know how I feel? I can't ever look you in the eye again."

I pulled her into a hug, and after a few moments, she wrapped her arms around me. She sobbed into my chest, and I wondered if I could repair our working relationship.

"Please don't go," I whispered. I smelled her coconut scented shampoo and breathed her in.

She didn't respond, and I wondered what I could do to make everything go back to normal.

*****

All of my efforts to keep Kim were futile. She left my house in the middle of the next night and gave her resignation notice to Carol the following morning.

After days of dodging Lisa and my former friends' calls, I realized I missed Kim more than I missed any of them. I should have expected it, but when there was a ring at my front gate, it wasn't Kim.

I groaned when I saw his face in the monitor and opened the gate.

He pulled up in front of my house, and I stepped onto the front stairs.

"What do you want, Mike?"

He looked like he hadn't slept in weeks.

"Ah, you know how it is, Jimmy. When one woman is crying her heart out, they all join in, and the next thing you know I've got three women crying and begging me to do something."

"I'm sorry you came all this way, but there's nothing you can do. She fuc... she cheated on me with..."

I couldn't say the words. I couldn't tell that good man his daughter had a threesome with my best friends. It would crush him.

"She doesn't remember anything, Jimmy. She just knows she woke up in that bed with your friends, and they told her nothing happened."

"I'm surprised she admitted to that much."

He shrugged, "Well, if she didn't do anything with them, she's got nothing to be ashamed of, I suppose."

"Yeah, well, there's where I have a problem. I don't believe she didn't do anything, and no one can prove it either way."

"She's a wreck, Jimmy. Can't you talk with her? Give her a chance?"

"If Diana woke up naked in a bed with your friends, what would you do? Would you believe it was innocent because she didn't remember anything?"

He nodded as if he understood, then said, "I would. I've known her for decades and I trust her."

"Yeah, see, I don't know Lisa that well, do I? I don't have decades of trust built up with her."

"But you do with your friends."

I shrugged and said, "I guess I don't really know them."

He frowned and asked, "Do me a personal favor, Jimmy, and talk to her. Just once, just to give yourselves some closure."

"There's no point, Mike. She's just going to cry and beg for another chance. I don't want to listen to it."

"I know, Son. I know. For me, please?"

I rolled my eyes and wished I'd never gotten involved with that family.

*****

Two days later, damned if I wasn't standing at the Davis family front door. Mike gave me their address and begged me to hear Lisa out. I knew it was a mistake the moment I accepted his address on the slip of paper, there was just something about that man that made me feel sorry for him. I thinkt I felt bad for him because he let the ladies in his life lead him around by the short and curlies. The guy just seemed to be beholden to his family. Maybe, it was that he had a family to be beholden to, and I was jealous?

"Come in, Jimmy." Mike said. "My wife is at the hair salon, and Julia went back to school, while I agreed to stay as a buffer if needed. I'm not going to be in your business, but I'll be close by if you need me."

I nodded as I walked past him.

I looked around the house and it was beautiful. It felt so comfortable, so homey, it had an old-style rustic charm that you can't fake. It had those big wood beams on the ceiling.

"She's out on the back patio. She's got some soft drinks and stuff, just head that way through the kitchen."

"Okay," I said simply.

"Hey, Jimmy?"

I turned and saw a sad, yet hopeful look in his eyes.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you for doing this."

I nodded and continued on to my dreaded conversation.

"Hi," she said with tears wetting her cheeks as I closed the patio door.

I ignored her and sat in the chair opposite where she sat.

"Jimmy, please give me the benefit of the doubt."

"I've thought long and hard about this, and there's one way you can prove to me that you didn't have sex with them."

She sat up and said, "I'll do anything. How can I prove it?"

"If you didn't have sex with them, that means you're still a virgin."

I saw her eyes widen, then her head dropped. That was the end of whatever it was we had.

"Jimmy, I'm so sorry. I honestly don't remember doing it."

"But you knew you had, didn't you?"

She nodded.

"I was sore. I didn't realize it until after you left. I'm sorry."

"So am I. Goodbye, Lisa. I truly wish you well."

I walked into the house and saw Mike sitting in the living room. He knew it was over.

"Jimmy?"

I shook my head, "She admitted it. We're done."

"Damn."

"Yeah, damn. Take care of yourself and your family, Mike. If you ever need anything, anything at all, give me a call."

"Sure, Jimmy."

He stood and walked to the door. As he opened it, he said, "You're a good man. Make sure you stay on the path you're on. Keep true to yourself."

He patted me on the shoulder, and I walked out of his house.

*****

I started the promotional tour for my record, and I was lost. I knew losing Kim was going to hurt, but I was a mess without her.

Carol, bless her, tried to help until I found a replacement, but she was too busy with her regular duties to manage my day-to-day minutiae effectively. I didn't miss any scheduled appearances, but there were times when plane tickets or hotel reservations weren't waiting for me, and we had to scramble.

"Jimmy, I can't do this anymore. Since you won't hire Kim's replacement, I've hired Stanley for you," Carol barked at me one morning.

"Stanley who? Can I trust him?"

"He works for my office. He can handle you and you can trust him."

I didn't want Stanley, I wanted Kim.

I found that I didn't just miss her running my life. I missed her being in it. There's a certain feeling one gets when they know someone has their back. No matter what they do, they have their best interests at heart.

How could I feel that comfortable with this Stanley guy?

Three weeks later, we wrapped up my tour of radio stations, TV talk shows, and surprisingly cable news networks. Stanley was working out very well, and I had to admit to Carol I was wrong.

Then the guy up and quit on me.

He took a job with some rap star who lived a completely different lifestyle than my boring, no partying ways. If that's what he wanted, I couldn't blame him. He probably got more girls, booze, and drugs than he'd ever get working for me. I hoped he was happy.

That left me in a lurch. I didn't have anything pressing immediately, but I had a short press tour in Europe, then Asia coming up, and I needed to find someone quickly.

*****

I walked up to a standard looking apartment building on the northwest side of Chicago. I wasn't sure which unit I was looking for, but there were only three units in the building, so I was sure I'd find it eventually.

I looked at the doorbells and didn't recognize the names on two of them, and the third didn't have a name.

I took a deep breath and pushed the buzzer for unit 3.

"Yes?" the familiar voice said through the speaker.

I froze and stuttered, "K-Kim?"

She didn't answer and I stood there, like a fool, on the doorstep for several minutes.

Suddenly, the door opened, and an older lady stood before me.

"She doesn't want to work for you anymore," she said with a raspy voice that told how many cigarettes a day she smoked.

She looked tired and was wearing a waitress's dress. I wondered who she was.

"Hi, Ma'am. I'm Jim."

"I know who you are. I have a TV."

I smiled.

"Of course. I'm not here to ask Kim to come back to work. I'm here to ask her to join me for dinner."

She laughed at me.

"Oh yeah? Like some kind of date or something?"

"No, Ma'am. Exactly a date. I miss her so much, it hurts."

She tried not to smile but failed.

"I'm her Aunt Jennifer. It hurts, huh? I tell you what. If you have that guy drive me to work so I don't have to walk to the bus stop, I'll let you in and you can have a chance."

I turned and yelled, "Hey, David. Give Aunt Jennifer a ride to work, will ya?"

"Sure thing, Mister Mace," he shouted back.

"All set, Ma'am."

She nodded.

"Go ahead in, I'm going to work. Good luck though, she doesn't want to see you."

"All I need is a chance. Thank you."

She laughed at me and walked to the car.

I climbed the stairs and stood in front of the door. I raised my hand to knock and could only muster a weak tap.

I heard the floor creak behind the door. I was sure she looked through the peep hole.

"Please, Kim. Can we talk?" I begged through the closed door.

A moment later, I heard the chain slide, the deadbolt release, and the door opened.

"Hi, Jimmy," she said.

"Can I come in?"

She nodded and opened the door all the way.

I walked into the apartment and looked around. It was clean yet small. I wondered why she chose to live there. She made enough money with me to afford a whole lot more.

"What do you want, Jimmy?"

I sat on the recliner without being invited to sit and said, "I want to take you out to dinner tonight."

"Why?"

"Because I miss you."

"I heard you needed a new assistant. I'm not interested."

"No, Kim. I don't want you to be my assistant. Well, I do, but that's not why I'm here. I want to take you on a date."

"You can't be serious," she sighed.

"I'm dead serious. I have a taste for steak, so I was thinking of taking you to Gibson's."

"Why?"

"Come on, Kim. Why are you making this so hard on me?" I stood and walked towards her, and she backed away until she hit the wall.

I put my hands on either side of her head against the wall and leaned forward until our lips met.

She didn't resist, and I became more aggressive, opening my lips and searching for her tongue.

She opened her lips just enough and I took it up a notch. Our tongues met and she moaned softy. Convinced she wouldn't try to escape, I moved my hands to her cheeks, and wiped her tears away with my thumbs.

That was when she broke the kiss.

"I love you so much, Jimmy. It killed me when you made me look for Lisa. I died inside when she showed up at the studio that day."

"That's over now. You don't have to worry about her anymore."

She hugged me and said, "How much time do I have to get ready?"

I kissed the top of her head and said, "We have all the time in the world, Baby."