CHAPTER 15

“Does anyone know who her doctor is or if she even has one?” Holly asked the small group seated in the booth.

Leighanne and Amanda had met Holly at a small, out of the way restaurant. It was Saturday and the last chance that the co-conspirators would have to meet before the small army was split the next day.

“I haven’t heard of her mentioning one.” Leighanne answered.

“Well, she wouldn’t if she wasn’t really pregnant.” Amanda said, chomping a mouthful of ice. “On the other hand, if she was pregnant, I’m sure she’d have mentioned a doctor.”

“Well we know she isn’t going to talk to us!” Holly snorted.

Amanda dipped her finger in her water absently swirling ice cubes around its surface. “Okay….who would she talk to?”

The three women pondered the possibilities. Lily didn’t seem particularly close to anybody. None of them could attempt to make the effort to become her new best friend. It would take too much time and besides, she’d never buy it. If her claim is true, then the only person who could ask her and even halfway expect an answer is Kevin.

“You know, I hate to play devil’s advocate here,” Leighanne frowned as she leaned across the table, “but what if she really is pregnant?”

“I just don’t believe it!” Amanda hissed.

“Why not? It’s the oldest trick in the book!” Holly argued.

“Okay, okay…” Leighanne said calmly. “Let’s say it isn’t true. What does she hope to gain by this charade? We’ll all know the truth sooner or later.”

Holly and Amanda looked at each other. They hadn’t considered the long-term motivation behind a fake pregnancy. The short-term motivation seemed obvious - upset Kevin.

Holly sighed. “Leighanne has asked a good question. I’m not sure why she would be doing all of this if it wasn’t true, but I did learn one thing in high school science class and that is that it’s awfully hard to prove a negative. We’ll have to try and prove the positive. If we can’t get any evidence that Lily isn’t pregnant, we should gather evidence that she is.”

“We can’t prove that she is!” Amanda said, her voice rising. Then she slumped against the back of the booth. “God, let’s face it. We can’t do anything.”

“But watch and listen and try to run interference.” Leighanne added.

Amanda fished into her purse for a cigarette. “I hate to bring this up,” she said, lighting her smoke and inhaling deeply, “but whether it’s true or not and Tris finds out about it, what’s her reaction going to be?” She paused, tapping her ash. “Shit, we already see what Kevin’s is.” she said, remembering his obvious stress Thursday night.

Holly’s eyes narrowed as she considered Tris’ possible reaction to such news even if it was rumor. Then Holly had an epiphany as a sudden wave of comprehension washed over her. Tristan’s possible response to word of Lily’s pregnancy was Lily’s motivation. Kevin dumped Lily and in her eyes, she was dumped because of Tristan. What better way to get back at Kevin than to crush the woman he wants so much to protect? The leggy, beautiful, sophisticated and dynamic dancer beaten out by a quiet, little, naïve and inexperienced piano player? Not in this lifetime! Lily was shrewd. She certainly wasn’t stupid enough to think that Kevin would leave Tristan because Lily was pregnant. Even when he had slept with her, it had been Tristan that he wanted. No, Lily was going for the jugular. She wanted to squash Tristan Mallory and, as an added bonus, shatter Kevin Richardson at the same time. Why hadn’t she just done it then? Why hadn’t she made the announcement to Tris on Thursday night - a perfect opportunity for torment and humiliation? Because she was enjoying the torture. Lily preferred a slow, agonizing death to a quick, neat one….she would have so much more to savor and she was enjoying Kevin’s distress.

“What are you thinking, Holly?” Leighanne asked, noticed that Holly’s silence was complimented with a frown.

Holly’s frown remained as she relayed her thoughts on the subject.

“I’m not so sure that Lily even wants Kevin. Not really. Oh, I don’t think she’d mind getting him into bed, but not as a lover. More like a prize - a victory over Tristan. I think she wants to break them both and ruin their relationship in the process. Total destruction for them individually and as a couple.”

Amanda shook her head as she snuffed out her cigarette. “God, she’s sick….”

Leighanne agreed. “Brian told me that Kevin was fairly cool yesterday. He was still mad about that scene at the club but he didn’t try to chase Lily down or anything.”

“That must have driven her crazy.” Holly smiled at the thought.

Leighanne met her smile. “Oh I think it got to her a little, alright. Brian said that she was asking one of the other dancers their views on abortion. Of course she waited until Kevin was within ear shot.”

“Trying to get a rise out of him?” Amanda asked.

“Of course! And it worked. According to Brian, Kevin couldn’t seem to do anything right for the rest of the day.”

Amanda was thoughtful again. “Ya know, Kevin may have to play along with her on this.”

“What do you mean?” Holly asked too loudly. “Surely you don’t think that he should run to her side!” “If he did, she wouldn’t have a game to play anymore, would she?”

Leighanne issued the closing comment. “Which brings us back to the original question - is she or isn’t she?”

While Holly, Leighanne and Amanda were busy trying to formulate some plan of action and Tristan was going over music and venues with Mason, the guys were caught up in last minute publicity promos for the winter tour. MTV was doing a live remote from the studio complex at seven PM.

Holly and Nick were going to spend Saturday night with Kevin and Tristan. Holly came over after the covert meeting. She would be going with Nick tomorrow and needed to wash clothes and pack. She didn’t mention her lunch date with the two women. Although Tristan couldn’t have joined them anyway, they wanted to be careful to make sure that Tristan didn’t feel ‘left out’ of anything, especially if the proverbial shit hit the mythical fan. She would need to feel confident in their support.

Mason was still there when Holly arrived and although they had only met once or twice before, they were comfortable with each other in a short time. Mason would be joining Tristan later on the tour, when her performances began.

Holly carried a basket of clean laundry up to the guest room, which Tristan referred to as Holly and Nick’s room. Even Kevin had called it ‘their’ room, which had amused her and pleased Nick. She found herself pausing when she reached the ‘Kevin Zone’ at the top of the stairs and smiled to herself. The vibrations still seemed good but there was an undercurrent in this house. She hoped she was imagining this until Mason followed her into the room and closed the door. He seemed a little ill at ease.

“Holly, I know we don’t know each other all that well, but I’m going to ask you something and I hope you’ll give me an answer.” He strutted over to the bed and, without asking, started folding laundry. “Oh! Are these Nick’s?” he asked, holding up a pair of briefs.

“Well, they’re not mine, Mason!” Holly laughed, reaching into the basket.

“He needs to loose these things…” Mason made a face. “Can’t you make them disappear? It messes up my image of him knowing that he wears these things!”

“You have images of Nick in his underwear?” Holly’s tone was serious but she was secretly amused.

“Well…no….I just….”

“What’s your question, Mason?” Holly laughed.

Mason placed Nick’s briefs on a stack of folded laundry and sat down on the edge of the bed. It took him a couple of moments to phrase his comments.

“Holly, you know that I’ve known Tris for a long time. I’m extremely fond of her and want only what’s best for her.”

“Okay….is there a problem?”

“I’m asking you that.”

“What do you mean?”

“I believe that Tris loves Kevin. Truly.” Mason reached into the basket and pulled out a handful of socks. “Does he love her?” Mason paused before he searched Holly’s face.

“Do you think that he doesn’t?” Holly wondered where this was leading.

“I don’t know Kevin all that well. I know he has a temper and I know what happened to them last fall. What I’m asking is, what’s happening now? I sense that something’s not right.”

Mason was obviously worried and Holly wondered how far to go with her explanation. She decided to lay it out for Mason. Everyone else already knew about the problem. Everyone else but Tristan.

“Mason, has Tristan said anything about things not being ‘right’? Is she worried about something?”

Mason hesitated. “She said something about Kevin not being himself. She’s chalking it up to the tour, I think.”

Holly sighed and sat down next to Mason. “Kevin loves Tris. Don’t think twice about that, but there are some things happening with him that Tris knows nothing about. He wants to protect her from these things. We all do if we can.”

Holly went on to explain the situation with Lily and added her own opinions about Lily's inspiration. She told Mason about the events at the club Thursday night. When Mason had asked Tristan about her evening out, she had never mentioned anything unpleasant or even awkward.

“Jesus! What a bitch!” Mason started pacing the length of the room, waving one of Holly’s bras in the air. “What’s Kevin going to do?”

“Some think he should come clean - let her know what’s going on. Others think that it would be a mistake to…um…risk anything…until he knows for sure.”

“What do you think?” Mason asked, stopping mid pace and turning towards her.

“I just don’t know, Mason. My hope is that when she hears anything - and that’s when, not if- it will come from him.”

Mason hung around to watch the MTV broadcast with Tristan and Holly. It was the typical interview where the guys pushed the tour and talked it up. Tristan never really understood that since the shows had sold out almost immediately after tickets had gone on sale.

“Damn! I wish Nick would get rid of that gum!” Holly complained. “Makes him look downright cocky!”

Mason looked at Holly and sighed. He found Nick’s cockiness….interesting. When he turned back to the screen, Kevin was speaking.

“He looks tired, Tris.” Mason commented.

“Yes, he does…” Tristan was a little concerned. The tour hadn’t even started yet.

AJ introduced members of the band, who seemed to have developed their own cult following. And then the host called the dancers over for an introduction. It seemed obvious to Tristan and Holly that the guys had not been expecting this. The dancers introduced themselves and made a quick comment or two about the upcoming tour. Mason and Holly glanced at Tristan when Lily appeared on the screen. Her eyes stayed fixed to the television with no trace of emotion evident even though Lily had found it necessary to literally hang on to Kevin while she spoke. After the show ended, Tristan got up and went into the kitchen, never saying a word. Mason and Holly exchanged looks again. This wasn't normal.

Tristan began pulling ingredients out of the refrigerator to make a dressing for some potato salad. She had to leave the living room and be alone for a few minutes. She felt like she was being watched - by Kevin and by their friends. They were looking for reactions from her - reactions to Lily. She struggled not to react. Kevin looked weary and he didn’t need the added burden of worrying about her. She wouldn’t whine or complain.

When Kevin and Nick arrived, Mason left, wishing them a safe trip on his way out. Tristan had set food out in the kitchen, prepared to feed the two after a long and tiresome day. Nick picked up a plate and started serving himself but Kevin just leaned against the doorway making no move towards the food.

“Did you see the show?” Kevin asked cautiously.

“Yes.” That was all she had to say on that subject. Kevin cringed inwardly. “Do you want me to fix you something to eat?” Tristan asked him quietly.

“Naw, baby. I’m beat. I think I’ll just go on up to bed.” Kevin turned and started up the stairs. He paused at the landing and looked behind him like he had forgotten something. “Tris?” he called.

Tristan peeked around the corner. “What do you need, Kevin?”

“Aren’t you coming?” It wasn’t really a question.

Nick had stopped chewing mid mouthful and glanced towards Holly.

Holly nodded towards the stairs. “You go ahead, Tris. I’ll get things put away down here.”

Tristan smiled her thanks, said goodnight and went to the stairs. Kevin had waited and held his hand out to her as she approached the landing. She took it and he led her up the stairs behind him.

The limo was coming at two o’ clock to take Kevin, Nick and Holly to the airport. Tristan had thought that she would go, too, but Kevin had insisted she stay at home, saying that he didn’t like public farewells. The truth was that the entire tour entourage was leaving together and he was uneasy about Tristan being there, especially after Thursday night. Lily seemed to be getting bolder by the day.

And so, he left her much as he had when he had left for Belgium last year, wrapped in a sheet and rosy from making love. He had been weak and tired last night and had given in to his need for her touch - and touch him she did, and taste him, satisfying her own neglected needs. They had loved each other into the early hours and had slept in each other’s arms until late morning when the caressing, touching and stroking had begun again. Kevin still hadn't eaten and barely had time for a quick shower before the limo was due to arrive. Still, as he watched Tristan sitting there in the middle of their bed with mussed hair and pouting lips, he found that he was ready to take her again.

The limo’s horn sounded outside followed by Nick’s hesitant knock on their door.

“I’m coming.” Kevin called to him and then turned to Tristan.

She smiled wistfully and pulled him down to her for a deep kiss. The horn sounded again and she broke away.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Kevin.”

Kevin ran his finger down the side of her face and across her lips. “I love you, Tris.”

“Isn’t Tris coming to the airport?” Leighanne asked as Kevin climbed in.

“She’s probably too damn sore to move, right Kev?” AJ sniggered, catching Holly’s eye and wiggling his eyebrows.

“Shut up, J!” Kevin ordered.

“Sorry, Captain!” he laughed.

Nick had caught the silent communiqué between Holly and AJ and it had irritated him.

The tour group boarded the chartered jet and took their seats. The plane was airborne within minutes and Kevin glanced to the rear of the aircraft spotting Lily halfway down the aisle staring at him. Ignoring her, he turned back around and reached into his pocket for his lollipop. When he found his pockets were empty, he grabbed his carryon and unzipped it, searching for his sweet fix. Kevin sighed with relief when he saw an unopened bag of the candy. As he reached inside to tear open the plastic, he paused and smiled. His fingers had discovered his other guilty pleasure. Tristan had packed the pink camisole.

CHAPTER 16

“Tristan! Put Amanda on the phone - NOW!”

Tristan put her hand over her mouth trying to keep herself from breaking into gales of laughter. She waved the phone at Amanda and then pointed to the receiver, mouthing ‘He wants to talk to you..’. Then she broke up again. Amanda backed up, shaking her head and giggling.

“Tell him I’m not here!” Amanda yelled to her.

Tristan put the phone back up to her ear, trying to compose herself.

“Uh…she’s not here, Kevin….”

“Don’t give me that shit, Tris! I heard her! Now put her on the God damn phone!”.

“She’s scared of you, Kevin. You sound so mean!”

Kevin took a breath and tried to calm himself.

“Please tell Amanda that I’d like to speak to her for just a moment, baby. I won’t be mean.” Kevin’s voice was even and mild. It was an award winning performance.

“He says he’ll be nice…” he heard Tristan calling.

The line was silent.

“Tristan?….Amanda?….Hey! Anybody?”

“Kevin…”

“Tristan! I thought you were getting Amanda! Where is she?”

“She had to go pee pee….Why don’t you want to talk to me, darlin’?” Tristan whined. “Hey! We could have phone sex! Put Little Kev on…”

“Jesus, Tristan. How much have you had to…”

“Hi, Kevin!”

Suddenly Amanda was on the line.

“Amanda! What in the hell….”

“Wait a minute, Kev….What, Tris?….Who’s Little Kev?”

“AMANDA!”

“Jeez - what? You about blew out my eardrum!” She began to laugh. “Little Kev! That’s so cute! AJ calls his Rodney. Get it? Rod - ney…” Amanda cracked up again.

“Amanda….?” Kevin tried to rub the tension from the back of his neck.

“Yes, Kevin…” Amanda gasped, trying to catch her breath.

“I thought you two were going to have a pajama party - not a binge!”

Amanda rolled her eyes. “Jesus Christ, Kevin! We’re not fourteen! What did you think? That we were gonna sit around here in baby dolls, paint our toenails and listen to Bobby Sherman records? Come on! Besides, we don’t have pajamas - right Tris?” she yelled.

“What in the hell do you have on?”

“Uh-oh, Tris. We have one of those obscene callers here…he’s breathing heavy and everything! I think you’d better take it…”

Tristan came back on the line. “Why are you talking dirty to Amanda? You pig!”

“Tris, baby….listen to me for a minute…where are you?”

“Silly….I’m at home…”

“I know that, Tris. Where are you at home?”

“In our bedroom…”

“What do you have on?”

Tristan paused. “Ohhhh….I see where this is going, Kevin! Do you want me to start talking dirty now?”

“No, no, Tris..” Kevin sighed, thoroughly exasperated. “Amanda said you weren’t wearing pajamas. What do you have on?”

“What do you want me to have on, Kevin?”

“Jesus…..Tristan, are the curtains closed?”

“No….”

“Are you dressed?”

“No…”

“Don’t you think you’d better close the curtains, then?” Kevin was pacing now.

“Oh….”

“I’ll ask again, sweetheart. What do you and Amanda have on?”

“Why are you asking about Amanda?”

“Okay….What do you have on?”

“Panties.”

“Panties? Is that all?”

“We got hot….” Tristan began to speak in a throaty whisper. “What do you have on, Kevin?….”

“Tristan! Get a grip, for God’s sake!”

“Is that what you want? For me to grip your…”

Kevin sighed harshly and deliberately into the phone.

“How much have you had to drink, Tris?”

“Well…let me see. We’ve gotten down to the worm…..Hey, Amanda! We’re down to the worm!….”

“Tequila, Tristan? Shots again?”

“We don’t have any limes. We had to use apples. It’s not the same….This is the cutest little bottle, Kevin! It has a little sombrero for a cap and….”

“Tristan, please let me speak to Amanda for a minute.”

“Okay, baby…Hold on……Amanda!”

As he waited for Amanda to come to the phone, he could hear ‘Limp Biskit’ blaring in the background.

“Hi, Kev! What ‘cha doin’?”

“I’m trying to talk to you for a minute, Amanda….” Kevin’s hand was on his hip and his foot was tapping.

“That Tris is so cute! Did you know that she didn’t even know what ‘nookie’ was? She thought it was money! Isn’t that cute?”

“What?”

“Yeah. She asked me how much ‘nookie’ I thought you’d need for the tour! I thought I’d die!”

“What?”

“Yeah. Well, she’s going to the bank tomorrow and didn’t know if you needed any cash, ‘ya know? She cracks me up!”

Kevin mentally vowed to get Tristan a ‘Dictionary of American Slang’ She was long overdue.

“Amanda, I thought you were going to look out for Tris!”

“I am, Kev! Jeez….”

“I don’t hear her Amanda. Is Tris still there? Is she okay?”

“She went downstairs to get some more apples. She’s so cute! She brushed her hair and put on some lipstick first! She’s half naked, but she put on lipstick! Tell me that isn’t cute!”

“Cute, Amanda…..”

“Tristan?….Tris?….” Kevin heard Amanda calling.

“What’s wrong? Where’s Tristan?” Kevin began to panic.

“Hold on, Kev….” Amanda put the phone down.

“Amanda? Wait!….Where’s Tristan?”

Kevin held the phone to his ear for six minutes, walking back and forth and slamming his fist onto any flat surface. Finally, “Helloooo? Anybody there?” Amanda sang into the mouthpiece.

“What the fuck do you think, Amanda? Where the hell is Tristan? What happened?” He was frantic.

“Damn, Kev…don’t go getting’ your ass all puckered! Tris is fine. She…uh…fell asleep, that’s all.”

“You mean she passed out! Christ….where is she?”

“On the landing…”

“She passed out on the stairs?…Jesus!”

“Kevin, honestly! You sound a little stressed…You’d better calm down and get some rest. We’ll see you tomorrow night…..”

“Amanda! Don’t hang up! Aman…..” click.

Kevin threw the phone down on the bed, angry and frustrated. He took a few deep breaths and then stormed across the hall to AJ’s room and began pounding on the door.

“AJ! Open up!”

AJ cracked the door and his eyes widened. Kevin stood there, red-faced and mad.

“What the hell’s wrong with you?” he asked, opening the door.

Kevin frowned when he saw Howie sprawled out on the bed. He started his pacing.

“You’ve got one smart assed girlfriend, J!” Kevin spat.

AJ beamed. “Yeah…ain’t she something?”, he smiled proudly.

“She’s something, alright! She and Tris are drunk as shit off tequila and apples!”

“Apples?” Howie butt in. “I thought you were suppose to use lemons or limes…”

Kevin shot Howie a murderous look.

“Whoops….” Howie grinned, covering his mouth.

“As I was saying…..They’re bombed! Running around naked in front of open windows, music blaring…”

“Ooooh…” AJ murmured, rubbing his chin and picturing the two women in his mind.

“….Amanda and Tris talking about ‘nookie’ and….”

“”Nookie’?” Howie interrupted.

“Shut up, D.!” Kevin yelled, getting more wound up. “Fuck! Tristan’s not makin’ any sense on the phone, wantin’ to talk phone sex….”

“Oooooh” AJ said more loudly, making a quick adjustment.

“Then she passes out…”

“Awww…I’m sorry, Kev. Phone sex, huh? What did Tris say….. exactly?”

Kevin stopped pacing and glared at AJ.

“Never mind J! I can see I’m wasting my time here! I just thought that you’d like to know that your girlfriend is a drunk and a smart ass!” Kevin stomped out of the door, slamming it behind him.

AJ grinned. That’s my girl…..

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