C.A.K.E

The instant his feet hit the cold lobby floor, he wishes he could get his hands on a DeLorean and a flux capacitor.

He'd tell his past self to run for the hills when the red-headed step-daughter of his father's golf buddy comes strolling into his parents' house.

The one time he was depending on her to be herself, she chooses to play the role of a concerned mother and show up here.

"Elliott Finley Stone." Melinda stops fighting Edward and saunters over to his side. "How are you, Fin?"

Everyone calls him either Elliott or Eli. She's the one person who uses his middle name, and she insists upon addressing him as Finley or Fin. Melinda says Finley is a much more distinguished name than Elliott. Truth is, she loves calling him that because she knows he detests it.

He gulps down air and runs his hands over his hair. Eli blinks as his eyes adjust to her. Just looking at her takes everything out of him.

The first Mrs. Stone is the captain and head coach of Team Too Much.

Almost two in the morning, and she's wearing a lace Gucci dress with a side slit that hits about mid-thigh, with a pair of sheer black stockings, topped off with a pair of nosebleed heels. Her bleached mane has been coaxed into soft ringlets that frame her face. A blood-red lipstick tints her lips.

Melinda couldn't have been too worried about the twins, since she took the time to get dolled up like a high-priced call girl.

She looks good. He won't lie. But she still can't hold a candle to Arden.

Stripped down to her birthday suit, and not a touch of makeup, Ardi's still beautiful. More attractive in fact. She's not trying to impress anyone, and that's what makes her so stunning. Somehow because she's not asking for the attention, it makes her more worthy of it.

Melinda on the other hand, needs the layers of makeup, the designer clothes, and the constant reassurance. So much so that she'll bring up her appearance just so people can comment on it.

After about six months of dating, Elliott ran out of genuine compliments and would volunteer a half-hearted, 'yeah, that's nice,' whenever she went fishing for flattery.

Nowadays, he keeps words with Mel to a minimum, and what she's wearing tonight garners nothing more than an aggravated smirk from him.

Elliott keeps checking the door for Melinda's usual entourage. She never travels without her latest male conquest and personal assistant.

With a nationally ranked television show under her belt, she is somewhat of a big deal. Dressed to the 9s with Melinda Carven-Stone airs every Thursday night at nine eastern on the Style network. The show has won several primetime television awards since its premiere three years ago.

You have to give a simple girl from the backwoods of Alabama credit. It's an amazing feat to be recognized for your talent in such a public manner. And Melinda is great at what she does, maybe even the best.

But her goddamned attitude overshadows every positive thing about her.

He's never seen a stylist who's more high maintenance than any of her clients, and she works with the best of young Hollywood.

A whiny, entitled twenty-something would be a more welcome sight for Eli than his ex-wife at this hour.

"Melinda."

"Three years of marriage, two kids and all I get is a dry, Melinda? I think I deserve more than that."

She inches closer and runs her fingers through his curls. Then she lets her hand trail down the side of his face to his chest, heading further south.

Eli catches her hand and throws it back at her. "Let's not get into what you deserve."

"Elliott, all these years and you're still bitter. Let it go. I have ..." She strokes his cheek. "You got your little whore, didn't you?"

He corrects her. "I got my wife, Melinda. My wife."

"Splitting hairs, Eli." Melinda shrugs. "Were you not still a married man when you met her?"

Always the same shit, different day with her. They have some variation of this argument every time they speak.

"I'm not getting into this with you. You know damn well what the situation was."

"You weren't single."

"I wasn't in a relationship either. There's a certain give and take to those kinds of things. But what would a parasite know about a partnership?"

Her eyes become dark slits of Maybelline smoky liner and Very Black mascara.

"Blame me, if that helps you sleep next to your little black girl. Enjoy the jungle fever while it lasts. I'll be around when it burns out of you."

She touches him again. And again he removes her offending appendage from his person.

"Arden and I will be celebrating our thirteenth wedding anniversary this year. Whatever she's doing is working. So you might want to ask my gorgeous, intelligent, thoughtful wife, who happens to be African-American, what her secret is."

Elliott hears a minute crackling. Melinda must be grinding her capped teeth into powder. He just lit a match in an oil tanker.

She creeps closer to him until he can see the touch of gray at her crown, defiant and ready to show her true age. The perfume she all but bathes in hits him in the face like a thorn-ridden bouquet of roses.

"Has she given you any little swirly babies yet?" Melinda smiles at him, baring her fangs.

Now it's Elliott's turn to grind his enamel into dust. His face strains to maintain an even expression.

mentioning her handiwork. Melinda is the single reason there isn't a tiny person with Elliott's thick sandy curls, and Arden's beautiful brown eyes

She was still trying to establish her career, and two screaming infants didn't fit into her

the twins ended up with his parents during the day and reading over anthropological

make a bottle of formula. If Eli left Melinda alone with the

a while, it just made more sense for him and Melinda

the twins. Melinda was more concerned with the way all of this made her look, rather than her children spending

babies. The most she would do is pluck them from their cribs, give them a quick peck on the cheek, then deposit the

Tea would wait around until she was ready to include

birthday, and the four of them have

met the one woman who was meant for him. All he had to

realized he was a different person when the other

time they were together, he couldn't keep his hands off her. He held her hand, caressed her cheek, complimented her every move, kissed her like no one else was around no

was in love.

political figure. She already had it all and now she was taking Melinda's husband. And the takeover was

filed for divorce one week

had introduced Arden to his

was no reason to be miserable when he could have everything he ever wanted with Arden.

knowledge, Melinda was his ex-wife, not his estranged wife. And for this reason, Eli's head earned a permanent spot on Mel's guillotine.

with Melinda, she wasn't going to make the divorce nice and easy

their house, investments. Melinda made a fuss over the littlest shit. Like who was going to get the crystal figurines his parents gave them as a wedding

his back. Eli would give her anything just to move on with Arden,

hit him where it hurt.

for full custody of the twins unless

then Melinda made her ultimatum clearer. She threatened to go abroad with the

see his twins again,

that were already here. He couldn't worry about hypothetical babies with Arden that might never have happened. That didn't

control she felt she'd lost over

have Elliott she was going to be getting damaged goods. She wanted the young woman to experience the inferiority and anguish that she felt when Eli decided to leave. In her mind, she had found a way to take Ardi down a peg.

He claimed it was because he discovered he was a carrier for a genetic disorder. He didn't want to risk having any more kids who might develop the disease, or pass on the gene to their children.

place of that issue, and they separated before he got a chance to bring up the subject. After the

for being so proactive. And even in the face of Melinda's frequent put-downs about her supposed infertility, she has never mentioned a word about the vasectomy to Mel. She wouldn't dream of

her the truth didn't seem

does an exceptional job at putting up with Melinda's shit. This tidbit of information might break

he can't stand how weak the whole arrangement makes him seem. Melinda couldn't have him, and he couldn't live without Arden. So he let Mel take his balls, in

life together. Besides, revealing that truth would also mean uncovering yet another lie—that he made Ardi the unwitting mistress. He didn't want to take the chance that she'd leave if he told her the truth about his and Melinda's

lose Arden. Not then, and damn sure not now. Not after

every time Mel is around, that harsh reality becomes a distinct possibility. Eli can

The anger from so many years ago is coming back, singeing his skin

himself, then answers her

no kids yet. But maybe that's because she's been

thin walls and flush her cheeks a bright crimson. He's hit another nerve with

And she'd do

you're the only one who

Elliott, another nut adds itself to the fruitcake.

into the lobby. He slicks a cowlick away from his face and takes a drag from a thin cigarette. Three buttons of his shirt are open,

smoke in here," Edward informs the young man.

takes another pull, then glances down at the glass receptacle. Keeping his eyes on the concierge, he puts the cigarette

his slicked-back hair, lights another

get the little fuckers

in front of him. But even this swarthy Latino isn't enough to make Eli

were going to

dilate to twice their size. "In

being a little

found out this country ass state doesn't even have a decent vegan restaurant. We need to catch the

peeks back at Eli over her shoulder. "As soon as, Finley hands over

Right after you tell me who the hell this is." Eli nods to

Armando

"The model," Armando adds.

snakes her body around the thin

"What is

"I'm thirty-four, asshole."

can rob the

specialty, remember? You're four years older than I am. So that means you're over a decade older than the tiny tike here." Eli smirks and folds his arms across his chest. "Beats my

him. "Where are my

their mother." He couldn't

every

did everything possible to make sure of that. But it

a placeholder for me," Melinda

old, you left Ro and Tea inside a car for an hour in the middle of July." He scoffs and runs his hand through his hair.