C.A.K.E

Chapter 11: Too Close for Comfort

Though Eli asked her to stay put, he's so glad she ignored him.

Arden glides past Melinda and Armando, and into Eli's eager embrace. She's let her hair down, and her Nikes have been swapped for a pair of black flats.

With her back to the enemy, she surveys her husband. She puts her arms around his torso and whispers to him.

"Are you okay?"

Elliott cradles her chin in one hand and slips his other into her hair. Her wrinkled brow and the tears clouding her almond eyes, remind him of the reason he loves her.

He smiles at Arden. "I am perfect."

Then he bends his head and kisses his wife. He closes his eyes and slips his tongue between her lips. She follows his lead and folds her arms around his neck. They both relax into the space that belongs to them alone, a home that exists in their every kiss. Somewhere safe.

Elliott rests his forehead against hers, and she notices the singed spot on his shirt. Arden's jaw tightens, and she asks again if he's all right. He nods and pulls her against his chest.

Melinda clears her throat behind them.

Elliott watches Arden roll her eyes, before turning to face Mel and Armando. A pageant grin worthy of the crown replaces the disgust that turned down her lips just seconds earlier.

"Melinda." Arden gives her the same stale greeting as Elliott did.

"Arden, so nice to see you," Melinda says, eyeballing her.

"Mm-hmm. Is this the boyfriend?" Ardi asks, glancing at Armando.

"Fiancé."

"Semantics, Melinda." Arden shrugs.

"Armando." He offers his hand to her.

Arden stares at his outstretched palm. She gives him a quick wave of her hand, before folding her arms across her middle.

He grins. "Another fiery one, I see."

Arden shifts her focus back to Melinda. "Why are you here?"

"You kidnapped my kids."

"I did no such thing. They left of their own volition."

"I find that very hard to believe."

"Believe what you will, Melinda. Neither Elliott nor I knew they were coming back to Birmingham."

"Fine. We can all pretend you didn't lure them back here." She pauses to glare at Arden. "I'm taking them home."

"They are home," Elliott says.

"Their home is with me."

"Not tonight, it isn't. It's late. They're staying here," Arden asserts.

"Don't you think that's a decision they have to make for themselves?"

Ardi nods. "You're absolutely right. Let's go upstairs and you can ask them yourself."

Arden and Elliott apologize to Edward for Melinda's outlandish behavior and ask him to have management send them a bill for the damages.

They also ask him to make sure that after tonight she is not allowed inside the building under any circumstances ever again.

"Shall we?" Eli leads the way to the elevator and they all step inside the small space.

None of them are too thrilled about sharing the close quarters, even for this short duration. All except one, that is. Armando leers at Arden. Elliott notices the other man's eyes on her. He switches places with her, eyeballing the model.

Melinda nudges Armando's arm. "Like what you see?"

"You know I appreciate beauty in any form." He smiles at Arden, who groans.

"Yes, she's very pretty. But you might want to check under the hood first. Sometimes that new Ferrari turns out to be a lemon ... Right, Fin?" She raises her eyebrow at Elliott.

"Don't start, Melinda," he warns.

She sets her sights on her real prey. "Still barren, Arden?"

"For the last time ..." Elliott's response is cut short by Arden's hand on his arm.

"Yeah, not much has changed with me." Ardi tilts her head and smiles at Melinda. "But I see you've managed to become even more of a bitch."

"You still think that's an insult. That's cute."

"I didn't think it would be fair to point out that dime store dye job, and those crow's feet." Arden sighs at Melinda's bottle-blonde locks. "I was raised to respect my elders."

"At least the sound of my broken biological clock doesn't keep me awake at night."

Arden laughs. "Oh, I'm sure yours stopped ticking twenty years ago."

"Maybe. But I'm not the one still sporting scars from twenty years ago." She gestures to Arden's cheek. "You know there are procedures for that now. There's no need to walk around looking like a patchwork quilt."

"I don't see why not." Ardi shrugs. "You're allowed to look like the crypt keeper in front of millions of people every week."

Melinda is silent a moment, pretending to be too engrossed in her freshly manicured nails.

"Speaking of my show, you would be perfect for a segment we're doing next month. It's called When Genetics Goes Wrong." She looks Arden over from head to toe and sighs. "Guess, some people just never get past that ugly duckling phase."

Arden bites the inside of her cheek. Then she kind of chuckles and glances down at her feet, before making eye contact with Melinda again.

"I used to think you were just an insecure, fame whore." Ardi smirks. "But now I see that was a compliment."

Mel glares back at Arden. "I'd rather be a fame whore than a motherless one any day."

The air in the elevator is set ablaze, sucking all of the oxygen out of the cramped space.

"All right, that's enough. Give it a rest, Melinda." Eli takes Arden's trembling hand.

Melinda raises her palms. "Wasn't me."

Elliott gives Arden's hand a gentle squeeze, and she does the same. She's okay.

Finally, they reach their floor and walk down the long hallway that leads into the penthouse.

Melinda takes a moment to study the artwork on the walls. A portrait of Arden, Elliott, and the twins is of particular interest to her all of a sudden.

"I let you two live in relative peace with my children." She's all but snarling at the photo. "Bet everyone around here thinks ya'll are a regular Brady Bunch."

"Who gives a fuck what people think. We're a family." Elliott takes a breath, keeping himself from saying more.

"I do care about my kids." Melinda's expression softens. It almost seems genuine. Almost.

"There aren't any cameras or press here, Melinda," Elliott smirks. “Do me a favor, and drop the bullshit."

"What are you talking about?" Mel asks.

"Give your other face a rest. I'm sure it gets enough airtime on your show."

"Well, which is it, Fin?" She turns to him. "Do you want me to behave, or not?"

"I want you to be a slightly better version of yourself. One who doesn't exact pleasure from crawling underneath other people's skin and defecating on their internal organs. One who isn't such a spiteful bitch."

"You're out of line, asshole. You can't talk to her like that." Armando makes a half-hearted attempt at defending his woman.

"Do you really wanna go there with me again?" Elliott charges up to him. "I can't even understand why you're doing so much talking."

"Why not, Finley?" Melinda asks. "Your little mouthpiece has had plenty to say tonight."

She narrows her eyes at Arden.

"Everybody just take it down a notch. Fighting with each other all night isn't going to solve anything." Arden steps into the middle of the fray and urges Eli away from Mel's glorified escort.

In less than three hours, she needs to be at the bakery. So it's time for everyone to put the bullshit to bed.

"Pardon me little Miss Muffet. But I'm not in the mood to hold hands and sing an old negro spiritual."

"Let's get one thing straight, father time." Arden addresses her. "None of your passive-aggressive shit in front of the kids. Whatever animosity there is between us, stays between us. Got it?"

Melinda gasps and places a hand over her chest.

"Really, Arden. You're so confrontational. Try to keep that ghetto girl attitude in check. This isn't the hood."

Melinda struts past Arden toward the door of the apartment.

takes his wife's hand again. She squeezes it, much harder this

deposits Armando on the sofa and Arden heads up to the twins' bedrooms. Melinda calls after her

to talk to my kids alone if

on the stairs, resting her weight on her right. She hangs her head and sighs. Then she throws

"It's your world, Melinda."

she's the hired help,

after her. Elliott catches

do it,"

to," she whines, like a bratty kid in the middle

blame you. But you are not cut out for

she says, still staring

how I feel about conjugal visits." Elliott kisses her cheek, and they share a laugh. She faces him and

you need more

not really something I can put into words." He settles his hands at her waist and shrugs. "I'm more of

can I

side table. "But I might be persuaded to give you a little preview. All I need to

wraps her legs around his back and pulls him closer by the waistband of

"Nope, try again."

of buttons on his shirt. "Right

wagging a finger at

She laughs, and a mischievous smile lights up her

lips halfway. They're lost in each

them in the hallway. His lithe build is leaned against the wall, staring at Arden like she's the newest installment on the Cinemax after-dark

you mind?" Eli steps in front of his wife, blocking

removes another cigarette from the slender silver case hidden in his breast pocket. He regards Elliott through his thick

little United Nations makeout session. But

can shit in the street like

against Elliott's shoulder. She can't help but giggle.

nudges him.

glances back at her, and

hall, last

the direction

passes. He stops and turns on his heels. "You

me, beautiful. Won't happen again." He smiles and

"Bastard," Elliott mutters.

rubs his back. "If I can't kill Melinda, you can't be an asshole

to her. "How do you know

few of his ads." Eli smirks at her, and she

I'm starting to feel

a slight flush in her cheeks. She takes a shallow

to worry about. They're not my

is your

her eyes for a

genius intellect, actually. Devilishly handsome with a hint

know

him call me sometime." She sighs. "Until then, guess

just a placeholder, that means I don't have to

kisses her. He slips a hand into her shirt, manhandling her delicate curves. Arden

tear yourselves away

is perched at the bottom of the stairs, staring daggers at them

helps Ardi from the table. They wait for Melinda to continue

against the banister, clasping and unclasping her hands. Then she looks Arden dead in the

want to leave," Melinda utters each word through gritted teeth. Like every syllable is another knife tearing into

I'm sorry you came all the way down here. I

I should have said something the second they showed up here," Arden

nauseating." She plays with a thread on the sleeve of her dress. "They can stay here until Thursday, and then

..." Arden starts to object, but Eli touches her

glancing over at

makes her way to the living room. She stands in the middle of the expansive room, looking around with

Eli says.

Arden nods her head

wanders off in search of her convenient fiance, leaving

wraps her arms around herself and glares at him.

ask what's going on with her. Ardi and Eli do the

Armando gives Arden one more lingering look, before stepping onto the elevator with Mel. She flips him the bird. He pouts his lips at her, as the

God, that's over." Elliott sighs and tries once again to

couple of quick steps to her left, and sails past him back into the apartment. Elliott follows, with the confusion of a first-time parent putting together a piece of baby furniture riddling his

up to Rowan and Teagan's bedrooms. Somehow, Elliott knows it might be best not to follow her upstairs. She's already expressed a

few minutes later, she jogs down the stairs again and into the living room.

her steps into the

floor lamp and asks Elliott to face her. She asks him to follow her finger, and repeat a quick

asks, with

up a vase, and tosses

you doing?" he exclaims, barely saving it from a shattered fate.

Melinda's hand being shoved up your ass

shoulders sink, and he groans like he wants to cry. "Arden, give

that woman shows up, your backbone . . . disintegrates.

launching it at Eli. The miniature clay elephant hurtles through the air on a collision course with his chest. He shuffles the first missile into the crook of his arm just in

can set the items on the end table, she fires another even larger porcelain dish at him. This one comes within inches of making contact with the hardwood floor.

"Arden ..."

be different. For a moment, I thought you were going to put our relationship before your irrational fear of angering her.

of hardbound books and hurls one at Elliott. The volume is moving so fast, his best option is to duck. As he rebounds, she sends

me." He rubs the afflicted spot

done talking. She flings the door of the master closed as

"Ardi, wait a minute."

her into the walk-in. Arden unbuttons her shirt and yanks off her jeans, before slipping out of her underwear. She throws the clothes into

about this, or are you going to charge around the house like a two-year-old

him with a bobby pin clenched between her teeth, as she secures her

actually upset with

him, stomping into the bathroom and closing the

has to find some way to resolve the issue. But he has to

door handle and realizes she didn't lock it. She

foggy room with caution. As mad as she is, she could be waiting behind the door with another blunt object. He peeks his head around the door. No baseball bats or

in the shower, letting water that is almost as hot as her anger soak into her pores. Elliott

"Arden."

She pulls the shower door shut.

opens the thick glass once more, and steps inside the tiled shower with her without stopping to undress. The downpour from the various jets and showerheads

"I can't do that."

"Get out," she demands.

"No."

"Elliott."

He stands firm and stares back at her.

she doesn't have time to waste trying to convince him to do so. Arden groans, and turns her back on him.

her skin. He works his way from her ear down to

underneath hers, letting his hands cup her breasts. He massages them in his gentle hands, while he

lips to his. Their same desperate exchange from earlier returns. She helps him peel the wet clothes from his

of her. Then he starts to

his magic until she's shuddering and tugging at his dirty blonde curls. Just

Eli gets to his feet and lifts her. Ardi wraps her legs around his back. With one swift movement, he slips into her warmth. She melts like sugar in his arms, uttering his name over and over like it's her new mantra.

slow and steady, relieving the rage and frustration that's

a feverish rhythm. Elliott feels Arden tense around him and moves faster and deeper.

he knows before she

back and digs her nails into Elliott's arms. He grips her tighter, as

he settles onto the shower bench

find her breath again, he kisses her. "Still mad

course," she says between gasps.

"Round two, then."

her hand on his chest. "I gotta

her again, longer this time. "Stay home and

have an

all my classes for the day." He looks at her,

at

looking at you." He leans back

fun as that

takes her breast in his mouth.

She runs her fingers

Then switches his attention to her other breast. Eli alternates sucking and caressing, relentless in his effort to change

wear her down. "Okay ... maybe I can

his lips

eager kiss. They could be in here

can actually take a shower. You're quite

me stay. I promise I'll

"I already know how good

"Yes, you do."

shower for its designated purpose.

on the edge of a white leather ottoman. He's kneeling in front of her,

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