Unbreakable

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

“Damn it! I can’t believe I lost him.” Alexis kicked the concrete sidewalk. Her face flushed with redness as she struggled to catch her breath.

“And I can’t believe you took off like that without protection!”

Alexis rolled her eyes, looking up at Lynn. Her brow c****d when she spoke. “Haven’t you learned by now? I don’t go anywhere without protection.” She rubbed her palm down the side of her hip with a smirk.

“You mean you…” Lynn gasped. She looked down, scanning Alexis’s clothes for any signs that she was carrying a weapon. Apparently, Alexis had somehow managed to conceal her weapon of choice today so that even Lynn wasn’t able to detect it. “You can’t be serious,” she said with wide eyes. “We’re in Times Square and you’re carrying…” Lynn clamped her mouth shut. As hard as it was not to argue now, she fought the urge to say exactly what was on her mind. She shook her head when she felt Calista squeeze her hand. If it hadn’t been for their daughter, Lynn knew, she wouldn’t have been so calm with her word choices. “You know what, Alexis? Right now, I’m taking Calista to get a cupcake. You and I will discuss this at home!” Lynn pivoted on her heels, succeeding in an 180-degree turn. She held tight to Calista’s hand when she sashayed down the sidewalk towards Crumbs Bakery.

Having someone she trusted as her designated bodyguard was nice, but sometimes she felt that her wife could be a little careless. Make that a lot careless. In the time they’d been together the only time Alexis had thought before she acted was when she continuously tried to push Lynn away at the beginning of their relationship. In the case of danger, Alexis failed to use her brains. Such irrational behavior had already landed Alexis in the hospital on more than one occasion. A minor scuffle ensued at one of Lynn’s concerts, leaving Alexis with a broken nose. On another occasion, a fan had pulled a knife on Alexis because she tried to push her away from Lynn. Sure, the fan had lingered a bit longer than necessary when talking to Lynn, but that wasn’t a reason for Alexis to go into seek-and-destroy mode. Still, that wasn’t even the tip of the iceberg as far as Alexis’s behavior was concerned. Lynn often wondered how Alexis had managed to avoid danger when she worked the beat in Florida.

“Are you and Mommy mad at each other because of me,” Calista asked with concern.

“No, sweetie.” Lynn frowned. “She and I just had a little disagreement, that’s all.” She stopped walking and knelt in front of Calista. “Sometimes adults have disagreements too. I promise you that it’s nothing you did.”

“Oh,” Calista frowned. “So you’re mad because Mommy ran away like I did?”

“I guess you could say that,” Lynn answered with a slow smile, once again realizing Calista was truly wise beyond her years. “But honey, you don’t need to worry, your mommy and I are fine, okay?” Lynn knew firsthand how scarring it was to witness one’s parents fighting all the time. She never wanted Calista to feel as miserable as she’d felt as a child. Lynn had always sensed she was the cause of her parent’s arguments, even the times when she knew she wasn’t. Sometimes a child didn’t know any better, believing everything revolved around them. Growing up, Lynn constantly dealt with her parent’s fighting. After growing up in such an environment, she wondered how she’d ever managed to enter into a stable relationship. Lynn glanced up when Alexis stepped beside her. “We’re fine aren’t we, Lex?”

Alexis knelt down to Calista’s level next to Lynn. “Of course with are.” She gave Lynn a quick peck on the cheek before regarding Calista. “People don’t always agree on some things, Sweetie.”

“And sometimes,” Lynn said with a glance towards Alexis. “People don’t think before they do things.” She caught the agitated glare that flashed inside Alexis’s eyes. Sure, she knew that her words succeeded in further irritating her wife, but Alexis wasn’t the only one who was furious.

Alexis pursed her lips and looked at Calista, forcing a smile. “Let’s go get that cupcake.” She grasped Calista’s hand when she stood, not even bothering to look at Lynn.

Lynn grasped Calista’s other hand when the threesome walked towards the crossover. Times Square always seemed to be bustling with people, no matter what time of the day or night it was. Tourists flocked to the area, stopping in the middle of sidewalks to take hundreds of photos, and squealing over the fact they were standing in Times Square. A group of women walked past, chattering so animatedly they reminded Lynn of chipmunks. She tried to stifle her laughter. Alexis’s angry glare, when they crossed the road, assured her that she didn’t do a very good job at hiding her amusement. Lynn tried to ignore the dilation in the ice blue eyes. With a smirk, she held Alexis’s stare for a brief moment when they reached the sidewalk. “Maybe a cupcake will make you a little sweeter.”

Alexis clenched her teeth. “Keep it up and we’ll just see where you sleep tonight.” To Calista, Alexis’s voice would have appeared calm but Lynn had become an expert at detecting the irritated undertone.

Lynn arched one brow. Lately she and Alexis fought more than usual. She supposed it was a combination of both the hormones she was taking and Alexis’s unreasonable behavior. Before meeting Alexis, Lynn was always the one in charge. Considering she and Alexis both leaned more towards a Type A personality, learning to allow someone else to take the lead had been an adjustment. Now, Lynn rarely ever won an argument. Maybe it was because she gave in too easily. It was something she needed to work on, especially where this issue was concerned. Alexis continuously placed her life in danger and quite honestly, Lynn was sick of it. “We’ll see about that,” Lynn sneered. She stepped back, holding open the door for Alexis and Calista when they reached the bakery.

“Afternoon, Mrs. Feoras,” Delilah, the perky cashier piped up the moment they entered. Since they’d become regulars at this particular Crumbs, she was on a first name basis with most everyone there. Lynn even paid Crumbs to cater events she hosted. Her record label went through them for release parties, per her demands. “What can I get for you today?”

“Let’s see.” Lynn stepped beside Alexis, daring to place her palm on the small of her wife’s back. Alexis flinched but didn’t make a move to pull away. “I think I will have one of the peach cobbler cupcakes.” Her personal trainer wasn’t happy that she frequented Crumbs so much. She’d put on a slight amount of weight, nothing major. Lynn believed it was due to the hormone shots causing the fluctuations and not the cupcakes, or the doughnuts she also loved. Since returning to New York, Crumbs cupcakes and Dunkin Doughnuts had become two of her staple foods. Crumbs’ delicacies were her biggest addiction. She loved almost every flavor the bakery offered. Their cake was moist enough to melt in your mouth and the selection was always changing. Merely looking at the case, filled to the brim with brightly colored cupcakes, made her mouth water. She’d even found a few creative uses for the cupcakes. “How about you, honey? I know how much you loved the cookie dough one last time.” She watched as Alexis’s cheeks flamed.

On their last trip, Lynn decided to try some of the cookie dough cupcakes. She’d been feeling frisky that night and decided to transform herself into a human cupcake by smearing it all over her chest. Alexis had gone a step further by spreading the icing between Lynn’s legs before greedily devouring it. Lynn could not wipe the smile off her face when she watched her wife squirm as Delilah expectantly looked at her, oblivious to Alexis’s internal dilemma. Alexis moved her free hand to Lynn’s butt, pinching her. “I’ll have a chocolate covered strawberry one.” She flashed Lynn a glare, daring her to make another snide remark.

Lynn giggled. Even though she wasn’t happy about the fact Alexis was still furious with her, Alexis was rather charming when she was angry. The way her blue eyes flickered and her nostrils flared as if she were a raging elephant, made Lynn’s overactive hormones blaze with desire. It always amused her how much Alexis’s temper managed to turn her on. She shifted uncomfortably when she recalled the first time Alexis handcuffed her to the bed in the throes of passion. Lynn shook her head, snapping her thoughts back to reality before she was too carried away with deliciously naughty images. “Chocolate covered strawberries are nice too.” Lynn beamed, knowing she was pushing her luck a little too far when Alexis narrowed her eyes like slits. She looked down at Calista. “What do you want, sweetheart?”

“I want the cupcake with all kinds of sprinkles!” Calista peered into the glass case, eying the chocolate and white cupcake laden with rainbow sprinkles.

“And our little angel here will have the vanilla chocolate sprinkle cupcake.” Lynn handed over her credit card to pay while a male worker she didn’t recognize gathered their order into a plastic tray. She stared at him for a moment before turning away. Why was it she had become so paranoid of half the men she encountered? She supposed that constantly drawing male stalkers didn’t do much for her trust issues.

“I heard you were doing a benefit concert for homeless youth next month.” Delilah swiped Lynn’s credit card while looking up with a smile. Her pale beige apron was littered with bits of icing. Even her dangling curls had a dollop of pink icing.

“I am. It’s going to be in Central Park. The concert is technically free, but we’re asking for donations to help with New York’s homeless LGBT youth. The donations can be in the form of money or canned goods.” Lynn was proud of the event, especially since she had been the one to orchestrate the idea. She wanted to do something more for the city she loved and this was a perfect opportunity. More than once, she had donated to the foundations and shelters in the metro New York area. The cause remained close to her heart, even prior to when she broke into the music business. For that, she had her reasons. “Are you coming out to the show?”

“Yes! I’m bringing my entire family. My boyfriend can’t wait. He’s never seen you perform live.” Delilah returned Lynn’s credit card, providing her with the slip of paper to sign while they talked. “I think he has a crush on you. Who doesn’t,” she stated. “I should be jealous but since you’re a lesbian I don’t have to worry. Heck, even I have a bit of a crush on you.”

Lynn laughed. “Well, I’m a happily married woman now so I don’t think anyone has reason for jealously.” Lynn turned towards a silent Alexis. “I love my wife dearly.” She rubbed the curve of Alexis’s wrist with her fingertips, relieved to see a genuine smile appear. Lynn turned to collect the container with their cupcakes. “Come by the security gates after the show and I’d be happy to take a picture with you and your boyfriend.”

“Thanks! He would love that. See you all later. Bye, Calista!” Delilah reached forward, handing Calista a bright purple lollipop from behind the counter.

Calista wrapped her fingers around the stick, beaming when she looked up. “Thank you!”