Almost Doesn't Count

by Angela Winters

  “He’s not marrying her.” Billie shuddered at the thought. “At least not yet.”

  “He married you after you moved in,” she countered. “Only I liked you. This stuck-up Barbie is not going to be my new stepmother.”

  Billie sighed. “Tara, I can’t really tell you how to be with her. You know I’m compromised on this.”

  “You hate her,” Tara said. “Just like me. She’s selfish and stupid and had the nerve to try and tell me what to do this morning.”

  “You really need to talk to your father about this.” Billie’s instinct was to advise Tara to tell Claire to go fuck herself, but she knew that wasn’t right. Tara didn’t need to be put in the middle of this more than she already was. “You’re gonna have to sit down and . . .”

  “Billie?”

  Billie didn’t even need a second to recognize the voice of her ex-husband. Porter had a deep, mesmerizing voice that pulled at something inside her even when he was mad, like now.

  “Billie,” he repeated. “Is that you?”

  “Yes it is.” Billie could hear Tara complaining in the background. “Look, Porter, I was just—”

  “You’re not allowed to talk to my daughter without my permission!”

  “Since when?” Billie asked.

  “Since I said.” His voice was cold and short. “You’re not her stepmother anymore.”

  “But you know I love her and she loves me,” Billie said. “We were just talking.”

  “You’re trying to turn her against Claire,” Porter accused. “And I’m not gonna let you do it.”

  He hung up before Billie could defend herself. Not that it would have made a difference. While he had promised to give Claire up once Billie found out, she knew he never had. And when she made it clear a divorce was what she wanted, he made it clear that Claire was what he wanted. Ever since, Billie saw only the ugly side of the man she used to love. He had humiliated her and betrayed her and now he was going to try to keep her from Tara, the closest thing she’d ever had to a child of her own.

  Which made it all the more insane to Billie that she was still sleeping with him.

  Perfect timing!

  Erica Kent had both hands on her curvy hips and a “don’t-even-try-lying-to-me” look on her face as the front door to her Adams Morgan apartment slowly opened. In walked her boyfriend of four years, Terrell Nicolli, looking guilty as hell. She wasn’t about to fall for that puppy-dog look in his dark eyes as he came toward her. He was looking good in blue jeans and a short-sleeve T-shirt that fit tight enough to show off the muscles under his light brown skin. He always looked good, but Erica was so mad, nothing was going to distract her.

  “Baby.” Terrell held his arms out as he approached but was stopped in his tracks as she held her hand up.

  “Don’t try that shit with me, Terrell.” Erica could deceive many with her girl-next-door cuteness but she was not one to be trifled with. “It’s eight in the morning. Where in the hell have you been?”

  “You know I’m working the night shift,” Terrell said as he bypassed her and went for the kitchen of their tiny two-bedroom apartment. He had hoped she would have left for work by now. “You leave me some breakfast or did that asshole brother of yours eat it all?”

  “Your shift ended at six,” Erica said, following him to the kitchen. “Why are you walking up in here two hours later?”

  Terrell took a gulp of orange juice right out of the container before answering. “Why don’t you just ask me what you want to ask me?”

  “I already did!” Erica knew what he was talking about and she wasn’t going to let him take it there. Yes, there was a part of her that suspected he was out hustling, but he had promised that was no longer a part of his life and she chose to believe him.

  “I was making some extra money,” Terrell said before adding, “and not hustling. It was honest money.”

  “Doing what?”

  “One of my clients needed me to take him all the way to his house in Bethesda and then out to Dulles airport.” Terrell approached Erica and leaned in to kiss her, but she backed away. That line wasn’t exactly true, but baby girl didn’t need to hear that it was his client’s mistress instead of him. “He paid me two hundred fifty dollars, baby. Under the table.”

  Erica rolled her eyes at him, not sure what to say. She was supposed to believe him. She knew Terrell loved her, but she also knew Terrell lied to her. When they met, they were both only twenty-one, and while Terrell was hustling to get by, Erica had to work two jobs to support herself and her younger brother, Nate. Their father had never been in the picture and when their mother died of cancer, Erica was only nineteen and Nate was twelve. Erica was young and easily impressed by the money Terrell flashed in front of her. He was cute and charming and treated her better than any man ever had.

  But like a lot of women, as you mature, you can grow less impressed by what used to turn you on. It wasn’t okay anymore that he was hustling. She needed Terrell to get his life together and that meant an honest job and helping her look after Nate. Terrell loved her enough to make that change, but he slipped up now and then. However, for a few years he’d had a job as a driver for Destin, a local limo company, and looked to be on the straight and narrow. With her secretarial position at the Defense Department, they were making a respectable living. She shouldn’t complain.

  “Why you gotta be so suspicious all the time?” Terrell asked. “I just paid our cable and electric bill in less than two hours.”

  “Is that the truth?” Erica asked. She couldn’t help herself.

  “Baby.” Terrell slid close, this time wrapping his arms around her. He leaned in and kissed her on her full lips. “You know I would never do anything to lose you.”

  Erica felt herself soften and heat up at the same time. Even after all these years, she loved how it felt to have her body pressed against his. He was strong and powerful and when he kissed her, he could really get her going. She had to be more trusting in him. He was her man, the only man for her. Even though her friends disapproved and said he was too “street,” Erica knew that Terrell was good and, more important, he was good to her.

  “I’m taking you out tonight,” Terrell said as his mouth lowered to her neck, kissing her softly, loving the taste of her and the smell of her, so sweet and soft.

  Erica’s eyes closed as she soaked it in. “You have to work.”

  “My shift don’t start till ten.” He tugged at her shirt until it was out of her skirt. His strong hands slid up her waist. He was already getting hard. “I’m taking you somewhere nice.”

  “We can’t afford . . .”

  He covered her mouth with his as his hands cupped her large breast. Erica had real curves and that was what he loved about her. She never showed it off, but her body was crazy and Terrell couldn’t get enough of it.

  “Where is Nate?” he asked in a whisper.

  “I have to go to work.” Erica didn’t even know why she said that. She knew she was going to make love to Terrell. They hardly ever saw each other, both of them working so hard. With only a few minutes alone, she knew what was about to happen and she couldn’t wait.

  He was caressing her breast aggressively now because he knew she liked it like that. Sometimes Erica wanted the soft romantic stuff, but most of the time she liked it a little rough and that was just another one of the things he loved about her. They could break some furniture if given half a chance.

  “Where is he?” he asked.

  “He spent the night at his girlfriend’s place.” Erica was tugging at Terrell’s shirt, pulling him toward the sofa. “I . . . We should . . .”

  His mouth took over hers again, and as their bodies fell to the sofa, they were furiously pulling at each other’s clothes. Removing her bra, he was calling her baby as his mouth trailed from her neck down to her full breasts. He kissed them, licked them, and opened his mouth softly to take one in. Her body was wriggling beneath his as he tasted her and his tongue played with her belly button.r />
  Her nails dug into his shoulders as he went lower. He tugged at her panties with his teeth, pulling them down as she lifted her hips up. He finished pulling her panties off and positioned himself between her legs. Their lips connected again and Erica could feel how hard he was against the inside of her thighs. She reached down and took hold of him, stroking him gently at first, but harder and faster as she went along while he continued to kiss her face, lick her neck, and tug at her earlobe.

  “You good, baby?” he whispered into her hair.

  “Yes, baby.”

  She let out a moan as he entered her slowly and she took him all in. He was large and her body had to adjust to his size every time, but the pain was sweet and enticing. She loved him and wanted every piece of him.

  The Executive Office Building, the famous French Empire–styled building located next to the White House, was occupied by most of the employees of the West Wing, the executive offices of the president. Sherise had worked there as assistant director of communications for the Domestic Policy Council for a year before taking her maternity leave. Her journey leading to this position was untraditional and defied most logic. Positions at this level were rare, sought by people with long-held connections and ties.

  Sherise had been working her way toward the West Wing as long as she could remember. As a young girl, the only time she would see powerful people in suits anywhere near her neighborhood was when Capitol Hill, White House, or other government-related executives would venture in groups in search of some good soul food. She wanted to know where they’d come from. Her mother told her “Northwest” was where they came from. It was the other side of town and from the looks of those people, Sherise thought it was where she was supposed to be.

  Always with her focus on getting to the other side of town, Sherise used her shrewd skills and smarts to spend as much time as possible over there. In high school, she found out about internship opportunities for Southeast kids and got herself one making copies at the Department of Agriculture. Making sure she outshined all the other students, even when she had to secretly sabotage them, she got a scholarship at the University of Maryland, interning every summer on Capitol Hill, referred to as The Hill. By the time she graduated from college, Sherise had made an impression on more than a few powerful people on both sides of the political spectrum so her fate wouldn’t change even when administrations did. She had to sleep with one or two and blackmail was always a last resort, but she was well on her way.

  Justin was the icing on the cake. As a former legislative assistant to two senators, Justin transitioned into lobbying and made a living by knowing everyone with decision-making power on The Hill. Sherise was always sure to make it seem as if she wasn’t using him to get access, but he was smart and knew better. With every door that opened, Sherise was looking for the next door. Now at twenty-seven, she had maneuvered into a good position, in charge of a small team of people and making sure that her boss gave her credit for everything that went well, even if it wasn’t her work.

  But the power game of politics was brutal and while it was sort of a revolving door, if you stepped away, you might have a hard time coming back. That was if you weren’t Sherise Robinson. She’d only been back at the office for a few hours but was already feeling her groove. She was barking orders to her staff, the women were looking envious, and the men were intrigued and intimidated—just as she liked it.

  She was positioning pictures of Cady on her desk, just about ready to dig in to the new project file her boss had given her, when she heard a knock on the door.

  “Come in.” Sherise made sure to sound annoyed. That way anyone she didn’t want to stay would already feel pressured to leave even before walking in.

  Jessica Colvin, administrative assistant to the director of communications, and Sherise’s boss, Walter Nappano, stepped inside. Jessica was one of the people Sherise walked a fine line with. She was the boss’s admin, so she had to get in good with her, but she also had to assert her authority when it came to getting access to Walter, which was not easy considering Walter spent most of his time out of the office.

  “A warning.” Jessica helped herself to the seat across from Sherise’s desk. She was a fifty-something plump woman with fiery red hair who wore a dress or a skirt every day because of her religion. She was easy to manipulate. Sherise had figured out that by just asking about Jessica’s favorite grandchild, a girl named Peppa, she could get anything she needed out of Jessica.

  “A warning for what?” Sherise sat up straight. Warnings were not what she wanted on her first day back.

  “Your welcome back party was postponed till Wednesday.”

  “I didn’t even know there was one,” Sherise lied. She was not happy to hear this.

  “Yeah, right.” Jessica wasn’t buying. “It was supposed to be today—a surprise. But Walter has news.”

  Sherise leaned forward with a wicked grin. “That you’re going to tell me before he tells everyone else . . . ?”

  “Consider it my welcome back present.” Jessica smiled with accomplishment. “He’s about to announce he’s retiring.”

  Sherise gasped before managing to ask, “What for?” even though she didn’t really care. She was already thinking about what this meant for her.

  “He’s taking a position with a private company,” Jessica answered. “Money and all that. I’m going with him.”

  “Are you now?” Sherise asked, wondering why Walter had never even hinted at a new job during their conversations while she was on leave. “How nice for you.”

  “He’s not going to be leaving for three months,” Jessica said. “So you’ll have that much time.”

  “I’m sorry?” Sherise feigned confusion.

  “I know you, Sherise. You’ve been eyeing his position since the first day you started your job.”

  Actually it was before that, but Sherise didn’t need to share that bit. “Well, I am next in line.”

  “Technically.”

  Sherise knew what she was talking about. “I know this Toni person has been interloping in the department, but there is no way she—”

  “There is a way for everything,” Jessica interrupted. “And Toni Williams has been working Walter like crazy since you left. It’s been six months, Sherise.”

  “I told you to let me know who was sidling up to him.”

  Sherise’s staff had handled most of her work and Walter had taken on what was above their levels. Sherise wasn’t at all worried about anyone on her staff outperforming her. But she had found out that, less than a month after she left, another department had half its budget cut and was loaning out its people who had a lot of time on their hands. Toni Williams, deputy communications director for that department, had stepped in, but Sherise had made sure to find out if she was doing too good a job. No one seemed particularly impressed. Sherise felt her job was safe.

  “And I did,” Jessica said, “but things have kind of changed.”

  “Like how?” Sherise asked. “Is she sleeping with him?”

  “Oh God, no,” Jessica said. “But in the last month, he seems to think the world of her. All I know is that same file Walter put on your desk this morning is also on hers.”

  Sherise had to admit that she hadn’t been on top of things in the last month. She was dealing with weaning Cady off breast milk and the emotional strain of accepting she would be separated from her baby for most of the day. She took her eye off the ball.

  “What has changed?”

  “That I can’t say,” Jessica added. “He’s not giving any reasons. I’ve tried to hint at it and it’s not happening. He never takes the bait.”

  “Well, I’ll get it out of him.” Sherise could play Walter pretty well. He was a sucker for a pretty face and based on his reaction today, he was very happy to see her back. She would stroke his ego a bit and play the awed protégée and he would tell her anything she wanted to know.

  This was an unexpected turn and Sherise was not happy about it. Her glee at
an opportunity to take a step up was dampened by the surprise of some real competition. She’d been gone for six months and in a what-have-you-done-forme-lately industry, Sherise could see where she had a disadvantage. However, her advantages were abundant and as soon as she could get little Miss Toni Williams out of her way, Sherise was going to be one step closer to an office in the West Wing.

  “You gonna be okay?” Justin asked.

  Billie turned to him with a smile. “This is my office?” Looking around the small, dark, cherrywood office with badly decorated shelves and dark rose red furniture, she noted that the only light seemed to be the single small window that offered a view of the back of another building.

  After spending the morning with paperwork and other administrative annoyances, Justin had made his way from the lobbying division just one floor below within the same firm, retrieved Billie, and walked her to her office.

  “Your office?” Justin laughed. “Used to be three to an office. You’re actually lucky. You only share it with one other associate. Layoffs and all.”

  Billie shrugged. “I only had half a desk at the public defender’s office. So I guess it’s a step up.”

  “Hey, Billie.” Justin stood in the doorway. “Give it a chance. You’d be surprised at how much you could like this.”

  “I intend to give it the best chance I can.” Billie smiled appreciatively. “I know you put yourself out there to get me this job.”

  “It wasn’t that hard,” he said. “You’re good. Besides, Sherise would’ve divorced me if I didn’t help you out. She loves you like a sister.”

  “She is my sister,” Billie said, meaning every word of it.

  Justin sighed heavily. “Billie, can I just give you a warning?”

  “Why do I feel like I’m gonna get a lot of those today?”

  He smiled. “Porter.”

  “What about him?”

  “They love him here.”

  Billie let out a sarcastic laugh. “Yes, I figured as much when they kept asking me about him during the interview process.”