The Other Other Woman

by Mallory Lockhart

  “I can’t take the hot and cold thing anymore. If you care about me, you need to show me. I don’t want a relationship with you where I never see you or you somehow feel forced to call me.”

  “I don’t feel like that at all. I love talking to you and I want to see you! I do care about you, Mal.”

  “Then ACT like it.”

  “Okay, I know I haven’t been as attentive lately. I just have a lot going on, work is crazy, home is crazy… How about this, I’ll try to be more conscientious of your feelings if you stop worrying so much and questioning everything I do. Deal?”

  “No. No deal. I’m not going to sit here and try to police you from six hours away. If I felt confident of where I stood with you, I wouldn’t have to question anything. So that’s really going to be on you.”

  “Okay, I get your point. Can we please pick another day?”

  “I guess. But I’m coming down there soon to visit Brooke anyway. Maybe the weekend after her birthday.”

  “Oh wow, that’s next week, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay, well keep me posted. I’ll call you later once I land in Miami, okay?”

  “Sure, do whatever you want.”

  “Mallory… I DO want to.”

  “Have a good flight,” I said, still angry.

  “Thanks, babe. Talk to you soon.”

  When I told Jules that we were sort of back “on” again, I think I heard her head slam against the nearest cement wall.

  “You’ve GOT to be kidding me! What the heck did he say?”

  “I think he might have actually been sick. I don’t know. I don’t know what kind of twisted hold he has on me, but I’m not ready to let him go yet. I just want him to not act like a jackass.”

  “Well, yeah, but he IS a jackass!”

  “I know, but I just need to see him again. If it could be anything like last time, I would be fine. The stress of not seeing him is making me nuts.”

  “No, his assholish behavior is making you nuts!”

  “I know. But I feel like if we could see each other more regularly, a lot of that would go away. Out of sight, out of mind, you know?”

  “I thought it was absence makes the heart grow fonder?”

  “Oh, shut up.”

  “Bwahahaha.”

  ****

  Just for kicks, Jules looked Katya up on Facebook because she wanted to check her out again. I reminded her that I had already done that before and the pictures weren’t very clear.

  “Um, Mal, have you seen ALL of her pictures?”

  “I think so. Why, what do you mean?”

  “Like this one where she thinks she’s a gymnast or something?”

  “WHAT!?” I said, furiously looking her up on my phone. “I can’t see anything except this one where she’s hanging on some dude who looks like her brother and one where she’s holding a baby. I hope that’s her niece. I’m going to assume that is NOT Matt’s love child.”

  “Okay, well for some reason I can sometimes see pics on my phone that would otherwise be blocked to the public because there are definitely a couple more out here. My, she’s very… bendy.”

  She quickly texted me a photo of Katya bent over on the floor, as if she was in a kneeling position but then brought her back all the way down flat, grabbing her legs. Shoot, I could do that. So what? I guess she was trying to be sexy. My stomach immediately felt sick as I imagined Matt behind the camera taking that picture. She was on the floor of an ugly apartment, and I couldn’t see a single piece of furniture in the entire place. Probably got in the way of her floor routine. I only saw a floor pillow next to her and one of those awful “Romanesque” fake pedestals that you buy from Walmart to make it look like you live on some sort of Italian wine estate.

  Upon further examination, there was something up on that pedestal.

  “What the hell is that?”

  “What?” asked Jules.

  “That thing… on the pedestal… is that… is that a bag of Wonderbread!?”

  “What!? Let me look… Hang on.”

  “I really think…”

  “Dude, that totally looks like a bag of Wonderbread.”

  “What on earth is homegirl doing with a bag of Wonderbread up on a pedestal in her living room?!” I exclaimed.

  “Maybe she needed a sandwich after all that bending?”

  “Oh. My. God.”

  “That just might be the strangest thing I’ve seen in a while.”

  “Maybe bread is a super-hot commodity in Ukraine and you have to treat it with much respect?” I laughed.

  “I guess so. I just keep mine in a bag on the counter!”

  “You know, she’s not as good looking as I thought she would be. She looks really weathered now that I see her up close, especially for her age.”

  “She really does. You’re way cuter,” Jules said, reassuringly.

  “Aw, you think so? Thanks!”

  “She must make one hell of a sandwich though,” she added.

  I checked with my mom to see if she could watch the kids for me the next Friday and Saturday. Brooke’s birthday was Thursday. I could come down Friday night, stay in a hotel, and head back home Saturday afternoon. She apologized for not letting me stay at her house so I could stay longer, but she was afraid Travis might be rude to me. Plus he had some plans for her birthday for that Saturday night. I was just glad he was letting her go out with us on Friday, so I wasn’t complaining. Besides, if I came back Saturday, it was easier on my mom too.

  I sent Matt a text.

  Brooke wants me to come down on Friday night. Think you can clear your schedule for that afternoon? And I mean CLEAR clear, like 1-5 p.m.

  I can and I will.

  Good. Yup. Still pissed.

  He was down in Miami until Sunday. He seemed to be making a real effort to stay in touch this time, quite a change from his last Miami trip. He had finished up an early appointment and was in the car texting me quite a bit while traveling over to Sanibel with some of the other advisors from the firm. I asked him if he was going to be able to walk around the island at all or lay on the beach. He said that they had meetings until 5:00 p.m., and then some big party with heavy food and drinks at a local museum. He was most likely going to be hung-over for his meetings the next day, so I told him to be careful and that if he should find himself in any state of undress, I expected pictures.

  The next day, my birthday, I didn’t hear from him until 12:34 p.m. It was obvious he did not remember.

  Hello Mal, how are you? I drank too much last night and really struggled to get out of bed. First appt was 11:00 thank goodness.

  What are you, a lightweight?

  Well we did drink from 5 until 1 a.m. Don’t mix vodka, rum, and beer!

  I don’t drink beer so I never mix it with anything, Blech!

  That is an excellent policy.

  You know, you should probably call and wish your girl a Happy Birthday at some point today.

  OH! Happy Birthday! It’s on my calendar but I was so hung-over I missed the reminder!

  Uh huh.

  And I will call you when I get free later today; cell signal is terrible down here. Would around 4 be okay?

  I’ll have to do a full analysis of the meaning behind that first, but yeah that will work.

  OK, thanks, sweetie!

  Come on, you know you laughed.

  Actually, yes I did.

  I was not happy about him forgetting my birthday, but it’s not like I haven’t done that to other people before. He must have known it was coming because he mentioned my gift a week ago. Still, it definitely stung. Jules was not amused either. As usual, she had a few choice words for him. Fuckhead. Crapbag. Rat Bastard. To name a few.

  I tried to focus on my upcoming trip to Atlanta. My plan was to tell Brooke that I was leaving mid-morning Friday to get there around 4:30 or so because I was going to stop to see some of my girls from the message board for a late lunch in Greenville. This was a big fat lie, of cou
rse. What I actually intended to do was to hit the road as early as possible Friday morning, check into the hotel around 1:00, and see if any hot male visitors happened to stop by.

  With my blessing, she was going to let a few people from the branch know that I was coming into town to see if they wanted to meet us for drinks at Lobby, one of their favorite after-work places. Matt told her he would definitely come. I was really looking forward to seeing both of them, but at the same time, trying desperately not to let myself get too excited in case I was faced with yet another disappointment. As usual, I failed miserably. He was very flirty once he got back from Miami, and I was eating it up with a spoon. I could feel myself getting as sprung as ever to finally see him again.

  How are you today hot girl?

  I stayed up late but slowly coming back to life. What’s up sexy boy?

  You, babe, that’s wazzup. (he cracked me up when he talked street). I’m just wrapping up some Pimco sales, drinking coffee and thinking about your body.

  Well you are in for a treat, because I’m pretty sure my virginity has grown back by now.

  Sweet!!! I will check and let you know.

  I hope you are prepared to be physically assaulted by lady parts.

  Bring it on.

  I can’t wait to see you. Can’t stop thinking about it.

  Me either. I’ve missed you and your body.

  With all this riding you are doing, I’ll need to thoroughly inspect these legs of yours.

  Yes, you definitely need to inspect these rock hard thighs.

  I was also thinking there could be showering involved this time if you so desire…

  I do.

  Just remember I’m short without my heels on…

  LOL makes no real difference.

  Depends on what you plan to do to me in there.

  A to Z.

  Good answer, I like it.

  Our company intranet had Top Broker lists that were updated each morning to show how much money was brought into each region the day before. It was a nice ego boost to get their name up there whenever they had a big day. Everyone in the company could see the lists, and on particularly big days other brokers would sometimes send around congratulatory emails, asking what product they sold and how they did it.

  As part of my job, I tried to pay attention to the lists and would also send the guys from my region a quick note. “Hey Douglas, way to go!” “Nice day yesterday, Stan!” It was a simple way for me to be friendly and made it more likely for them to cooperate if I ever had questions or issues with their trades.

  I knew Matt checked the east coast list every day. He was already one of the top producers in the region, but he was still fiercely competitive. He liked to see his name up there and he definitely liked for other people to see his name up there. I tried to recognize him whenever I could, even way back before we started seeing each other, but even more so now. You could tell he loved the attention.

  GM, did you see some sexy motherfucker was number one on the hit parade today?

  Mofo was #1? Shit!! What a stud!!

  I gotta get his number! I typed, giggling the entire time.

  Get it on Friday at 1:05…

  I plan on getting a lot of things on Friday at 1:05.

  Bring your “A” game

  You should probably just start peeling off your clothes as you are coming down the hallway. Also, I think there are countertops at the Residence Inn. Just sayin’

  I hear you loud and clear!!! Gotta trade for a few but will be back!

  Every conversation we had that week was filled with sexual innuendo. It reminded me of how we were before we slept together, the flirtiness, the constant butterflies in the stomach, and that sweet anticipation of seeing each other for the first time. Only this time it was even sweeter because I knew just what to expect. I felt like I had been through so much upset, I wanted to reclaim him as mine.

  He had hurt his hamstring on one of his weekend bike rides so he was taking it pretty easy that week. I received this text that Monday morning.

  GM! What’s the word? Ready for exercise?

  Yes, I am finally going to run today. Been 4 days! That’s what you’re talking about, right?

  Negative, Sherlock, you know what I’m sayin’.

  I am very ready. Are you ready? Am I going to have to rub that hamstring?

  I am tapering on exercise… that means I will be soooo ready.

  Well I hope so because I just plan on lying there and letting you do all the work.

  LOL! I am injured! You gotta step up!

  You’d better enjoy walking today because you might not be able to when I’m through with you.

  I am injured reserve but will be ready to go on game day, Coach.

  Do I need to pick up anything ifyouknowwhatImsayingandIthinkyoudo?

  I can. And I will bring some wine too.

  24 pack.

  LMAO. Coach, I’m feeling weak right now! he said.

  Okay, 12 pack.

  It’s only 4 hours, babe!!

  Party pooper.

  Send me a pic, sweetie.

  I’m always sending you pictures, you send me one!

  But I don’t have any of you because I have to delete them.

  There are apps for that, Matt, and what about the email ones, you still have those don’t you?

  Oh yeah, I forgot about those.

  You forgot?! About naked pictures of me? Nice. Wow, that really hurt my feelings.

  I’m sorry, techie girl, it won’t happen again!

  That’s because I’m not sending you any more, bucko!

  Well, that’s fine because I want the real deal anyway.

  Good save.

  Brooke was planning to invite some friends from her neighborhood along with us. One of her other friends backed out on her, so she was worried we wouldn’t have as good of a time with just the four of us. I suggested she talk to Matt and see if he wanted to go and bring some of his friends. I mean, he was fun to hang out with, right? And we were going to be going to dinner at a restaurant that was owned by one of his clients. When we spoke on the phone I told him about our plans.

  “Brooke told me last night that she might invite you to go out with us… to Aja's, I think.”

  “Well, I’m definitely in for wine at Lobby for sure, maybe more. It depends on where you go. Aja's is not that close for me, and I’m not sure about going drinking and having to drive all the way home from Buckhead. I like to stay in this area if I’m drinking.”

  “One of her friends bailed on her so she’s looking for more fun people. But pretty sure they are set on Aja's. I can drive you home. But I might try to put it on you in the car.”

  He laughed and said, “You are very considerate. We’ll see.”

  Thursday he texted me again after my run. So far, it seemed like things might actually work out this time.

  How was your workout, babe?

  Good! Did 4.5 miles, still sweating!

  Good job! I need a solid workout badly.

  You’d better go home and rest up, actually. What is your excuse going to be for leaving early tomorrow?

  Gonna play 9 holes of golf, shower, then meet you guys for wine at 5.

  Ahh good one. What are you going to wear?

  Casual biz wear at work, nothing at golf, jeans and polo for drinks.

  Nothing at golf!! :)) oooh so I’ll get to see you in your jeans?

  Yes ma’am, my black Citizens.

  Sweet. I’m sure Brooke won’t think anything of it when we both show up to Lobby completely disheveled and glistening with sweat…

  Well, we’ll see, I am bringing things to freshen up.

  I’ll be happy to let you use my shower…

  You are a very generous woman!!

  I may even help you scrub; you can’t be all funky for your co-workers.

  Your kindness is bringing tears to my eyes!

  I’m really looking forward to seeing you, Matt.

  Me too, babe.

 
I felt like screaming, “SO DON’T SCREW IT UP!” but figured I’d just go with the flow. Only a teeny tiny part of me thought he might not show this time. I mean, I would be in a hotel room two minutes from his office, the same place I stayed in April. Pretty tough to weasel out of that one.

  Chapter Seven

  The next morning, he sent me a text.

  Safe travels!

  I responded back, leaving now, can’t wait to see you! (Naked!).

  See you in 6 hours, babe!

  I texted him at all the typical milestones: Passing Charlotte! SC Border! GA Border!

  And he would answer the same way: Keep on trucking, baby!

  Brooke called me a couple of times while I was on the road. The first time I told her I was getting an oil change because I didn’t want her to know I was heading down already. The second time I told her I was just passing the SC state line when I was actually just pulling into the parking lot of the hotel.

  Traffic was light, so I got to the hotel a little bit earlier than expected. I was able to unpack, change my clothes, and fluff my hair. I put on some music and tried to relax before he got there. I was still very nervous as I texted him the room number, and told him I had a wine opener and glasses. He responded that he’d be there in 10 minutes. I left the door slightly ajar like he had done for me and went around the corner to brush my teeth again.

  He gave a little knock and I came to the door and stood there with it just barely cracked open enough to peek out and say, “Yes? Can I help you?”

  “Oh, come on, let me in! I brought snacks!” he replied and threw a blue backpack over on the nearest table as he entered the room.

  I immediately threw my entire body into him. I don’t even think I said hello. With my arms clasped around his shoulders and my hands on the back of his head, I went straight toward his lips. I could feel tears start to well up in my eyes; I’m sure from the sheer relief of him actually showing up this time. As he slipped his hands around my neck, skimming my cheeks and unknowingly wiping my tears away with his fingers, he brought our lips together in a quick succession of perfect kisses. I brushed my hands along the sides of his gorgeous face and when he finally slid his tongue into my mouth, any anger I still had toward him instantly melted away, replaced by that familiar hot rush sweeping over my entire body. I missed this so much. I missed him so, so much.