by Lena Skye
“You’ve got it; I’ll always be here for you in whatever way that you need. You know how I feel about you. If you ever want to take things further, I’m here for that too.”
“Until you find someone to settle down with. You deserve to be with someone all the time.”
“I’ll wait for you as long as it takes. I know what I want and I’m willing to wait for it. I’m incredibly disciplined case you couldn’t tell.”
Tamika quickly blew the breath through her cheeks. He was relentless and it was turning her on in the worst way. Why did he have to be so patient and cute?
“Okay, I don’t even know how to end this conversation now,” she laughed.
“Let’s just eat some more pizza and chill the hell out.”
***
Jin was a little disappointed as he sat in the cab and headed home. He was so sure that he and Tamika were finally going to be an item. It wasn’t right to lust after a married woman but her husband didn’t deserve her. She was everything that he’d ever wanted in a woman and he knew from the moment that he saw her that he had to have her. It wasn’t fair that no good men snatched up the women who were a godsend. That woman was intelligent, funny, sexy, and a go-getter. She was the kind of woman that he could wake up next to every morning and be happy with. Not many women had the ability to be hard and soft at the same time, Tamika mastered it.
Just as things were finally getting good, Tamika needed more space. He wasn’t upset with her; he respected her ability to articulate what she needed. So many of the women that he dated were unable to voice what they needed or wanted from a man and she did it even when it was uncomfortable. So he was going to respect her wishes and just be her friend but whenever she wanted to cross that line, he would be prepared for that too.
The cab dropped him off in front of his home, he paid and then took a second look when he noticed someone standing in front of his door. It was Reggie, at least he thought that it was. His heart pounded a bit but he wasn’t going to be intimidated by anyone.
Jin casually walked to his door, “Hello, can I help you?” He stared him up and down, the aggression practically radiated off of him in huge waves. He was clearly upset about something and there was only one thing that it could have been.
“Yes you can help me; actually you can help yourself and stay the hell away from my wife.”
Jin thought about how to handle the situation, he wasn’t the confrontational type but he hated bullies. “Unfortunately, that’s just not possible, we work together.”
“You know what the hell I mean. You need to stop coming over to my house, stop spending so many evenings with her, and your little dates are over.”
“She and I have always been friends and that’s not going to stop just because the two of you are at odds. Hold on, how did you find out where I live?”
“That doesn't matter. Now tell me, how long have you been wanting to fuck my wife?” Reggie asked bluntly.
“Excuse me?”
“You heard what the hell I said, I didn’t stutter. How long have you been wanting to screw my wife? I’m just here to let you know that she belongs to me and I don’t play around when it comes to the people that I love.”
Jin scoffed. Men like Reggie made him sick. They spent more time trying to own women rather than actually appreciating them the way that they deserved. He could now clearly see why Tamika was choosing to move on from him, he was a joke. He was an insecure joke.
“I don’t know where you get off, showing up to my home and trying to intimidate me. I’m not afraid of you, and I’m going to have to ask you to leave. Don’t ever show your face here again,” Jin demanded.
“I don’t plan on staying long, I just wanted to let you know where I stood on this issue. I don’t like other men sniffing around my wife. We’re in a delicate position right now, so respect our marriage and calm your damned nerves.”
“She is an adult woman and is very capable of making her own decisions. I don’t know what you came here expecting, but nothing is going to change. I’m never going to do anything with her or to her that she doesn’t want, now you have a good evening.”
Reggie took an aggressive step forward but Jin stood his ground. Reggie said, “Just stay away from my wife or else. Remember, I know where you live...”
Jin smiled, “Goodbye Reginald, remember what I said about staying off of my property.”
“I’m not thinking about your ass.”
“Yeah that’s obvious.”
“Bye, motherfucker.”
Jin didn’t dignify his rude exit with a response. He waited for Reggie to get into his car and drive off. He contemplated calling Tamika to tell her about what just happened but decided against it. She didn’t need to know about the ridiculous charade that her husband was pulling. There was more than enough on her plate and he wasn’t going to add to it.
#Chapter3
“Baby, I’ve admitted my sins and I promise that things are going to get better...”
Kalena's Dad
Kalena headed to her mother’s house, she was supposed to be home but she wasn’t answering the phone. It was extremely annoying, she missed her mom, and she wanted to see her face. It had been too long since the last time that they took the time to speak. When she called, her mom rushed her off of the phone or she made an excuse as to why she couldn’t come over. Now she knew what it felt like to be a parent, it sucked to be blown off by the person that you loved. They were flesh and blood! Nothing should have been more important than her.
She rang her mom’s bell impatiently and finally heard her mom scuffling to the door. She breathed a sigh of relief because her mother was home, she didn’t want it to be a blank mission. Her mom was going to cook for her and talk to her, it didn’t matter if she wanted to or not. The door opened and Kalena’s mouth damned near dropped.
Her father was standing there in nothing but boxer briefs, it was a terrible sight. Not only did she not want to see her dad damned near naked, she didn’t want to see her dad with her mom. Now how many kids could say that? The last thing that Kalena wanted was her parents getting back together. Her mom was finally getting her life back on track and she didn’t need her dad’s lying ass messing it all up!
“Hey baby girl,” her dad said joyfully.
“Umm hey, what are you doing here? I thought that you were going back home,” she said as she stepped through the door.
“You sound disappointed to see me here.”
“I’m not disappointed, I’m just surprised,” Kalena lied.
“I’m sorry for being indecent; I’m going to go put some clothes on.”
“Yeah, you do that,” Kalena said as she walked to the kitchen. She felt like she could just throw up. Was her mom actually going to get a divorce or not? They were obviously enjoying themselves and having sex. Did her mom forget that he had a baby on the way with another woman? The woman was probably laying in the bed that she and her husband shared for years at that very moment!
“Hey Lena,” her mom said as she walked in, wearing only a robe. She kissed her on her forehead, went to the fridge, and pulled out food. “Are you hungry? I’m not going to do any heavy duty cooking but you can have some of the sweet potato and squash soup that I made yesterday, it’s so good. I know you’ll love it.”
“That sounds really good, I would love some. I need to learn how to make that kind of stuff.”
“You and your friends go out to eat too much, I’m gonna put you in some cooking classes,” her mom laughed.
Was Kalena in the twilight zone? Her mom was acting like nothing was wrong. It was the same mom that she grew up with; it was the same mother that she grew to dislike. Her mom seemed to be back to playing the role of housewife for a man that didn’t care enough about her to keep it in his pants.
“Mom, I hate to ruin your good mood, but what are your plans?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that things seem to be back to the usual with you and dad. Are you g
oing home with him? Are the two of you going to live separately but still visit each other for sex? This is just too damned weird for me to grasp.”
Her mom laughed, “Girl, grow up. Your dad is here because I’m lonely and honestly, I miss sex. I know it’s petty but he’s still legally my husband, so until we get a divorce, I can do whatever I want with him. I’m still moving forward with the divorce, I’m still staying here, and I have no plans on changing what I’m doing. I love him but I can’t be with him anymore.”
“Wow, when were you going to tell me?” Her dad said from doorway.
Kalena’s eyes grew wide, it was about to be a showdown right there in kitchen between her mom and her dad.
“I’ve been telling you that for the last couple of weeks but you chose to hear whatever you want,” her mom said in an unbothered tone.
“So you’re just going to throw our marriage away? I thought that we were working towards repairing our marriage, but instead you’ve just been acting common.”
Her mom laughed, “You really don’t want to take it there with me, Henry, I promise you, and you don’t. Don’t get me started about common. I’m not the one that threw our marriage away, you did. You threw our marriage away every time you couldn’t keep it in your pants. Every time you used your collar to screw some girl sitting in the second row in the church with a skimpy skirt, you threw our marriage away. So don’t give me that shit, save it for one of your mindless ‘common’ whores.”
Kalena couldn’t believe her ears, her mom never fought fire with fire when it came to her dad but today she wasn’t taking any shit. Kalena stayed quiet because it was obvious that the two of them had all but forgotten her presence.
“Baby, I’ve admitted my sins and I promise that things are going to get better, you just have to give me a chance to make it right. Doesn’t our vow before God at least deserve that much?”
“It means as much to me as it did to you when you were screwing that girl who is having your baby. You really need to make it work with her, sweetie, because she’s going to leave you with nothing, especially after I get my cut.”
“So this is about money?”
“This is about the only thing that you understand, and that seems to be money. So yes, it’s about money.”
“Wow, we’re so much more than that,” Henry said, before he ran a frustrated hand down his face.
“Look, just because we’re having sex doesn’t mean that we’re getting back together. I enjoy your company and that’s clear because I’ve been married to you for damned near 30 years but our marriage is over. I’ve been upfront with you from the very beginning and I’ve never lied to you, which is much more than what I can say for you. I’m going to enjoy the remainder of my life without you,” her mom said plainly.
Kalena was extremely proud of her mother, and more than that, she enjoyed seeing the look of defeat and disappointment on her father’s face. He finally knew what pain felt like; karma was giving him an overdue visit.
#Chapter4
“I have to learn to control myself better.”
Crystal
Crystal sat in her office, and tried to look at everything but the fine specimen that was seated across the table from her. Kai got better looking every time that she saw him. She wished that he didn’t have kids and that he wasn’t such a douchebag. No man called her crazy and got away with it. Well, he didn’t officially call her crazy, he told her that she had issues, but that was close enough.
One thing that she couldn’t deny was his skill and his dedication to the project at hand. Kai handled everything as a consummate professional; there was no indication of any animosity. The last time she saw him, she threw water on him. Most men would have had a major attitude, but his cool demeanor didn’t show that he was bothered in any way. It pissed her off a little, he was unaffected, and it was insulting.
“Alright,” Kai said, “I think that we’ve made great progress on this project. We’ve nailed down most of the major details and I’ve discussed everything with my team. We would be more than happy to continue to move forward with this grant. I’m looking forward to starting the process and to obtaining it. I think that we have this in the bag. I doubt if anyone is going to top us.”
“You sound really excited,” Crystal said, “I assure you that everyone on my team reflects the same amount of enthusiasm. We’re going to have a long-lasting work relationship and do a lot of good within the community. I can’t wait until we can hit the ground running but first we have to get through the red tape first.”
“Between my people and yours, this is going to be a cake walk. Team work makes the dream work.”
“It definitely does,” she said as she looked at her watch, “Thanks for coming by today. I have another appointment in a half hour. I doubt if you and I will have to meet up any time soon again. Our grant writers will be able to take everything from here, so I’ll be in touch. If you need anything please don’t hesitate to ask. Enjoy the rest of your day.”
“Wow, that’s very abrupt,” Kai responded.
“What do you mean? Was there something else that needed to be discussed?”
“If you don’t mind I would like to talk to you about the last time that we saw one another.”
Crystal wasn’t sure if she wanted to talk to him about their date. It was very clear where each of them stood when it came to each other and if he was expecting an apology from her, then he had another thing coming. She didn’t issue those out easily.
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea, the last time we spoke on a personal level, things didn’t end very well,” Crystal replied.
“I would like it if you would at least talk to me about it, instead of us acting like it never happened.”
He had a point, she reluctantly agreed, “Okay, so what do you want to talk about?”
“I just want to personally apologize for upsetting you so much to the point where things had to escalate. It was never my intention to offend you in any kind of way. I’m sorry if you felt disrespected. I can only hope that we can work together without things being awkward between us.”
Crystal waved her hand in a nonchalant manner, “I don’t have a problem with it at all. So you don’t have to worry about it. I accept your apology, so now we can move on.”
He looked surprised, “So you mean to tell me that things weren’t weird here today? You hardly looked at me at all. Your face was buried in the paper work or you were staring at the paint on the wall.”
“Okay, things were a little weird, but you don’t have to worry about it now. You said that you were sorry, I accept your apology, now we can move on with our lives,” she gave him a dismissive tight smile.
Kai picked up on her energy and gathered his things. After exchanging quick goodbyes he headed towards the door. It was at that very moment that Crystal felt like a complete and utter asshole. He’d been nothing but nice to her and she was still busting his balls.
“I’m sorry too,” she said before he could get completely out of the door. He stopped in his tracks and turned around to face her. She continued, “I’m very sorry for throwing water on you. I have to learn to control myself better. Thank you for being a gentleman and handling it with way more grace than I could ever deserve. I’m also sorry for the way that I treated you after I found out that you had children, you didn’t deserve that.”
He gave her a slight smile, “I appreciate the apology as well. I know that had to be incredibly difficult.”
“You have no idea,” she laughed. “Now, I do have something to ask you.”
“What’s that?”
“Can I take you out this weekend?”
“Your treat?”
“Of course, what kind of woman do you think I am?”
“Okay then, you have a date.”
“I’ll pick you up at seven.”
“I’m getting picked up too?” he asked.
“Nothing but the best,” she grinned.
“Okay, see you then.�
��
Crystal smiled to herself as she watched him walk out of the door. She felt really good about her date, and it was more than because of how he looked. This time she wanted to enjoy his company, get to know him, and redeem herself. It was time for her to stop being so stubborn all the time and to give a good man a chance. It was time for her to let go of her past so that she could finally grasp the future. Comparing everyone to a man who was no longer in her life had done nothing but bring her meaningless relationships, sorrows, and problems. This felt like a new chapter, finally.
#Chapter5
“I warned you, and now I’m coming for you.”
Reggie
Reggie sat alone at a bar in the middle of Harlem. The bar had a decent crowd, and it was one of Reggie’s favorites. The drinks were great, the bar food was awesome, and it was dark. He was supposed to be at work but he called in sick. His superior sounded a little concerned because lawyers didn’t usually take days off sick unless it was an all-out emergency but it felt like an emergency to him. His life was falling apart and a man was trying to take his wife. Not only was a man trying to take his wife but it looked like he was succeeding.
A piece of his soul died when he saw Tamika kiss Jin. He couldn’t help but wonder just how long it had been going on? They looked comfortable together, it was clear that they had a good rapport with each other and his wife smiled at him. It was something that he hadn’t seen in a while. Her smile lit up her entire face; he never realized just how much he would miss seeing her smile at him.
No matter how much he begged, pleaded, and promised her that he would change she wouldn’t respond. The only person that he heard from was her damned lawyer. He couldn’t stand that woman, it was clear that Tamika spared no expense with her representation. Brittany Hubbard was a complete beast in divorce proceedings and he was going to get taken to the cleaners. Granted, he didn’t truly have anything, but that did not make any of this much easier. He had a lot of people at his disposal but going through an ugly divorce wasn’t something that he wanted. He didn’t want a divorce at all but if he had to have one, he wasn’t going to drag it out.
