After a long day on the set, I was too tired to keep listening to Sophia’s voice. It was after ten at night and I’d been on the phone with her for forty-five minutes. She was running her mouth nonstop and I was waiting for a lull in the conversation so I could politely get off the phone.
“I feel abandoned. It’s like you’ve forgotten I exist. With my husband deployed in Afghanistan and my son spending the summer at the military academy, I feel totally isolated—I’m all alone,” Sophia complained. “I’m nauseous all the time and lately I’ve been having dizzy spells. Oh, and did I mention that I suddenly have varicose veins? My legs look horrible and they hurt like hell.”
Oh, Lord, help me. I can’t take much more of this torture.
Ever since I’d begun my whirlwind fling with Michelangelo, I hadn’t given Sophia or the baby a moment’s thought. Now that she had my attention, she was milking it. Handholding a needy individual was not my strong suit, and my first impulse was to pawn her off on Ellie. But there was no polite way of saying, “Excuse me, I don’t have time to listen to you whine. Please call my assistant if you want someone to listen to you gripe about your pregnancy.”
I took a deep breath. “I’ve read that green tea has medicinal qualities that help with morning sickness.” I’d heard no such thing, but it sounded good. “Do you have any green tea, Sophia?”
“Hmm. I never heard that, but I’ll check and see if I have any green tea.”
I could hear her footsteps as she padded to the kitchen. I heard cabinets open and close. I rolled my eyes, regretting I had picked up the phone and accepted her call.
“Okay, it looks like I have chamomile, oolong, Lemon Zinger, Orange Mandarin and…um, I’m trying to see if there’s any more packs of tea in the back of the cabinet.”
Oh my fucking God, this bitch is trying to hold me hostage on the phone while she checks every teabag in her fucking cabinet.
“Sophia.” I spoke her name through clenched teeth. “Why don’t you make a quick run to a convenience store and buy some green tea.”
“I would, but with the vertigo I’ve been experiencing…” She paused and allowed a moment of ominous silence. “I don’t think it’s wise for me to go out alone.”
This needy ho had already been paid good money for her services, and if she thought she was going to guilt-trip me into ripping and running all over creation to keep her stocked in tea, pickles, and ice cream or any other food craving, then she was sadly mistaken.
“Why don’t you try the oolong tea? I’m sure it will help with the nausea,” I said, running out of patience, but somehow managing to monitor my tone.
“What about the vertigo? I never experienced dizzy spells when I was pregnant with my son. My doctor says that vertigo is normal in the first trimester, but I know my body, and it’s not normal for me. I don’t feel comfortable being alone; can you come over and sit with me for a while?”
She had to be kidding. I almost burst out laughing at such a ludicrous request. This bitch was really pushing her luck.
“Sophia, I have to prepare for an interview with the food editor of Food and Travel magazine, first thing in the morning,” I lied. “Why don’t you call me back tomorrow evening?”
“Okay,” she said in a pathetic voice.
I ended the call and let out a long breath. That bitch gotta be crazy if she thinks I’m at her beck and call. Free from Sophia’s needy clutches, I made a mental note not to pick up her calls for the next several months. As far as I knew, I had not signed up to provide emotional support all hours of the day and night. If she wanted a sympathetic ear, then she needed to call her husband in Iraq…Iran…or wherever the hell he was deployed.
Thirty minutes later, my phone rang. The screen read: UNAVAILABLE. Suspecting that Sophia had blocked her number, trying to trick me into picking up, I ignored the call. A few moments later, my phone rang again.
Oh, hell. I’d be guilt ridden for life if something was really wrong with Sophia and I ignored her, so I reluctantly picked up.
“Yes?” I said in an aggravated tone.
“Are you upset with me, baby?”
It was Michelangelo, and hearing his voice gave me butterflies. “No, I’m not upset with you. Why would I be?”
“I could see it in your eyes that you didn’t appreciate finding me in a cozy situation with Azaria. I know how it looked, but I want you to know that I wasn’t doing anything wrong. I was keeping it strictly professional.”
“You’re free and single to do whatever you want. I can’t control you,” I teased.
“But I wasn’t doing anything. She was the one sitting close and who kept finding reasons to rub on my hand.”
“I know what a flirt Azaria is. I was only playing with you.”
“Oh, you enjoy playing with my heart?”
Although he was being playful, I could tell by his voice that he was getting as emotionally attached as I was.
“UNAVAILABLE came up on my screen—where are you?”
“I’m at a pay phone. I expected it to be hard to find one, but I lucked up and only had to walk a few blocks from the hotel.”
“I’m touched that you went out of your way to contact me, but it was a risky move. With only two days left until the finale, Josh’s minions will probably be checking on you guys pretty regularly. ”
“True, but I wanted to hear your voice. I miss you. Believe it or not, I couldn’t care less about winning the competition. At this point, the only thing I want to win is your heart.”
Touched by his sweet words, my hand went to my chest. “I miss you, too,” I admitted. “But there’s nowhere for this relationship to go, and you and I need to keep things in perspective.”
There was a lengthy silence while Michelangelo absorbed what I’d said.
“Okay. I only called to verbalize my feelings, and now that I have, I’ll say, goodnight. Pleasant dreams, Cori.”
“Goodnight,” I responded. I was about to hang up when I surprised myself by suddenly blurting, “Wait! I need to see you. Can you get a taxi and come over?”
“I’m on my way,” he said with a chuckle.
• • •
I was playing with fire, again. I could only pray that my life didn’t go up in flames. I had no guilt over cheating on Maverick, but it wasn’t wise for me to get emotionally involved with Michelangelo or any other man. Having a friend with benefits was all I had wanted, but apparently neither of us had control over our emotions. And that was frightening.
Financially, I was locked-in with my husband. We were a team. As wealthy as we were, we still had yet to reach the pinnacle of success. We needed to stay together, even if we had to pretend to be happy. Sacrificing was necessary to reach the great heights we’d both dreamed of.
It would be foolish for me to fuck up what I had with Maverick. Undoubtedly, the public would be much more tolerant of Maverick’s adulterous ways than mine. If Maverick got caught with one of his whores, there’d be gossip, but it would die down eventually. But if the public discovered that I was having a lurid affair with a contestant, all hell would break loose. The double standard would always exist, and if word got out that I was fucking around with Michelangelo, I could kiss goodbye everything I’d worked so hard for.
I’d always been level-headed with a clear vision of what it would take to achieve my dreams. So, why was I tempting fate? Revenge was the easy answer, but it was more than that. Michelangelo brought out a side of me that hadn’t emerged since college. I felt happy and alive around him, and it was time to accept that I’d been holding on for dear life to a marriage that was nothing more than a business arrangement.
Sadly, I wasn’t going anywhere and neither was Maverick. Michelangelo would return to Ohio in a few days, and I prayed that I’d be able to get him out of my system after he was gone.