Raymond didn’t say a word.
“Raymond Burg,” I said with bugged eyes that were about to break from their sockets. “Raymond, this is my husband Isaac. I mentioned my dinner plans with a client tonight and Isaac said he might join us.”
Raymond slowly reached his hand out and shook Isaac’s. “Nice to meet you,” Raymond said.
“Really?” Isaac said, taking a seat. “It’s cool to meet you too, Raymond. I’m elated about finally meeting the man whose been occupying my wife’s time. Shocked more like it.”
Raymond remained calm. I, on the other hand, was nervous, even though I suspected Isaac was fishing.
“Business is business, Isaac,” Raymond said. “I’ve been thinking about investing into the company your wife works for. Her boss told me to speak with her about it.”
“Now, why would he do that?” Isaac asked.
I quickly intervened. “Because I’ve been there for quite some time, and other than Darrell, nobody knows the business better than I do.”
“Bullshit, Cydney. From a distance, I’ve been watching the two of you. Your body language said business wasn’t being discussed.” Isaac sat back in his chair and looked down at his gun holster. He then looked up at me. “Tonight, you and Raymond got a choice. Either he leaves or else I’m gon’ get up and put my foot in his ass or yours. At least I’m giving everybody here some options.”
I knew that Isaac was about to trip, and I didn’t want Raymond involved in our mess. I looked across the table at him, as he sternly sat and wasn’t about to move.
“I’m starving,” Raymond said with a devious gaze in his eyes. “I can’t wait until the food gets here. How about you, Cydney?”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Raymond, I’ll have to take a rain check. If you wouldn’t mind leaving Isaac and I alone, I’d more than appreciate it.”
Raymond stared at me. I could see the fire in his green eyes. He dropped the napkin on the table and stood up. Afterwards, he came over to my side of the table, placed one hand on the back of my chair and the other on the table. He then leaned down in front of me.
“If you put your lips on my wife, your ass will hit the floor. I dare you,” Isaac hissed with fury in his eyes.
Raymond’s eyes shifted to Isaac, and then back to me. Isaac’s words didn’t fear him at all. “You deserve better. I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”
I nodded, hoping that Raymond would leave. But instead, the direction of his eyes moved to my lips again, and as I could feel him wanting to lean in, I slowly moved my head from side to side.
Isaac shot up from his seat, causing Raymond to back away from me. Before leaving, he gave me one last stare and was gone.
Isaac sat back down in the chair, shaking his head. “A white motherfucker, Cydney? You went behind my back and fucked with a white man?”
“Must we sit in this restaurant and put all of our business out there? If you have something to say to me, you need to say it in the privacy of our own home.”
“Oh, I got plenty to say. Now, let’s get out of here so I can go home and say it.”
Sparing us the embarrassment, we headed for the door. The Matre’D said that Raymond had settled the bill, so I thanked the Matre’D and apologized for the inconvenience. I waited for the valet to bring my car. Isaac walked to a nearby parking garage to get his. I’d thought about avoiding Isaac and getting a room for the night, but I felt a need to stand up to him. How dare him interrupt my dinner engagement and have any demands of me, especially after everything he’d done? Thinking about what had happened, I hurried home so we could talk.
As I made a left turn to get on the highway at Ladue Rd., a silver Jaguar cut me off. The driver told me to pull over, and since I thought I’d bumped his car, I did. When the back door swung open, it was Raymond. He opened the driver’s side to my car and squatted down beside me.
“I’m sorry for what happened back there, but your husband irritates the hell out of me. Will you…can you follow me?”
“Now?”
“Yes, now.”
“Raymond, I don’t think that’s a good idea. Isaac could be somewhere watching me, and with me wanting a divorce, I’d hate for him to have any ammunition against me. When are you leaving?”
“Tomorrow. I can always come back, but I was hoping to see you while I was here.”
“Then, maybe tomorrow, okay? Tonight is not a good time. I’ll be paranoid all night long.”
Raymond looked disappointed. He then looked up at me and gave me the same stare he’d given me at the restaurant. When his eyes dropped to my lips, I moved forward to kiss him. As usual, his soft, juicy lips made me melt like butter. I wanted so badly to let him make love to me, but the thoughts of my crazy ass husband wouldn’t let me. I broke our intense kiss and told Raymond I’d see him tomorrow. He got back into the Jag and the driver pulled off. For a while, I followed, and then merged onto highway 70 to go home. Surprisingly, Isaac wasn’t there.
CYDNEY
Saturday or not, I got out of bed early and headed for work. Today would be a catch up day for me, and since no one would be in the office, I could get plenty of work done. Isaac never came home last night. I just knew he’d come in acting a fool, but he didn’t. His not being home gave me a little time to catch up on some rest, but still, the thoughts of Raymond weighed heavily on my mind. I wanted to see him today, but then again, I had to clear up this mess with Isaac and do it fast. He was getting out of control. I knew that somebody was bound to get hurt. If Raymond allowed me just a few more months, I could very well be free to do whatever I desired to do.
On my way to the office, my cell phone rang. When I looked to see who it was, it was Miguel. Since I’d been home from my vacation, he’d backed off. I guess he was in the mood to mess with me this morning. And trying to see what the enemy was up to, I answered.
“What?” I sharply said.
“That ain’t no way to talk to me after all I’ve done for you, is it?”
“Make it quick, Miguel. I’m busy.”
“When am I going to see you?”
“Never. I told you that I’m not dealing with you anymore. The same goes for Isaac.”
He laughed. “That’s a lie and you know it. You’ll never leave Isaac. He’s got you wrapped around his finger, like the rest of his bitches. Don’t think for one moment that I’ve forgotten about you because I haven’t. I’ve been busy working on a li’l something else. For now, you and Isaac are on the backburner. But trust me when I say I’ll be in touch with you real soon.”
He hung up. I tossed my cell phone over to the passenger’s seat and rolled my eyes. If I could ever take back my involvement with him, I surely would. All I could ask myself is, what in the hell was I thinking?
When I arrived at my office, the moment I walked in, I looked at the picture of the Majestic and carried it into my office. I already had a place for it on my wall. But it was so heavy that I had to wait for someone in maintenance to hang it for me. For the time being, I placed it against the wall right in front of my desk.
For the next several hours, I got down to business. Next week was going to be a breeze for me, as I’d filed all of my papers, reorganized my desk, and reviewed many of the insurance claims that required upper management’s attention. Bottom line, Carol wasn’t worth a damn, and since I had to do her work too, her salary was a serious waste.
By the time I got finished reviewing one hundred and twenty claims, it was already getting late. I got up to pour another cup of coffee, and when I got back to my desk, I looked straight ahead at the picture. I’d been looking at it all day. By now, I figured that Raymond had already left.
As I was in deep thought, I heard laughter. When I looked up, it was Darrell and his male companion. Darrell walked in, but his companion stayed by the doorway. By the looks of both of them, you’d never know their preferences.
“Cydney, I didn’t know you were coming in,” Darrell said.
“I wanted to get c
aught up on my work. You don’t mind, do you?”
He looked at his watch. “Did you know that it’s almost eight o’clock? How long have you been here?”
“Since eleven. I plan to wrap up a few more things, and then I’m leaving.”
“No, you leave now. You can finish up on Monday. You look very tired and you’ve got to get your beauty rest.”
I was feeling awfully tired, so I stood up and reached for my purse on my desk. “Would you walk me to the elevator?” I asked.
“Sure,” he said, excusing himself from his companion. He failed to introduce me, but I already knew what was up.
We walked to the elevator together. I couldn’t help but pry. “So, is this thing between you and him official?”
“Yes, it is, Cydney. I took your advice and told my fiancée the truth. She was devastated, but I had to be honest with her.”
“What about the baby?”
“There was no baby. She lied about being pregnant, only so I would marry her.”
All I could do was shake my head. I told Darrell to have a good evening and I’d see him on Monday.
“You too, Cydney. And be careful driving. It’s raining cats and dogs.”
“I will.”
From my office, I’d seen and heard the thunder. I guess I hadn’t paid much attention to the rain. The parking garage saved me, but when I drove out of it, the rain came pouring down. The streets were extremely slick, and as soon as I got on highway 40 to go home, the highway was at a standstill. There was an accident. I crawled my way through traffic. By the time I reached the Forest Park exit, I was frustrated and got off. Going through the park was like going in circles, but anything beat staying stuck in traffic. As soon as I merged off to go through the park, another car followed closely behind me. The streets were dark. All I could see were headlights. Trying not to panic, I figured the driver must have had the same idea as I did. Soon after those thoughts, my cell phone rang. I reached for it, and when I looked at the caller ID, the caller was unknown. Instead of letting it go to voicemail, I answered.
“Cydney?”
“Yes.”
“Pull over.”
I recognized the voice as Raymond’s, so I looked in my rearview mirror, only to see his flashing headlights. Honestly, I didn’t appreciate being followed, but I pulled my car over to the curb. Having no umbrella, and feeling uneasy about being on a dark street, I stayed in the car for a moment. When I saw Raymond walking towards my car with a huge black umbrella, that’s when I got out. I walked to the back of my car, and that fast, my wet hair was flat on my head. He hurried up to me and covered both of us with the umbrella. I pulled my hair over to one side and blinked my wet eyelids.
“Raymond, I have to be honest. I don’t like being followed like this.”
“I know you don’t but—”
The thunder roared and interrupted his thoughts. Even the wind kicked up and blew the umbrella up. Raymond tried to hold on to it, but after it wouldn’t cooperate, he let it go. We got drenched.
“So much for that,” he said.
He moved my hair away from my face then leaned in for a juicy kiss. Wanting…needing his touch, I pulled on his wet hair and allowed our tongues to dance a little long. He backed me against the trunk of my car and his hands started to wander. After yanking at my silk, button- down blouse, the buttons popped off and my blouse came apart. Raymond rushed to lower his head, and removed my right breast from my bra. With it being fully exposed, he massaged the left one then placed his mouth on the other one. I couldn’t help but to drop my head back in pure pleasure. We both wanted each other so badly—the rain didn’t seem to matter. I closed my eyes, and let the rain beat down on my face. When Raymond reached for my skirt to pull it up, I stopped him.
“Le…let’s go to your hotel room,” I moaned.
“No,” he said. “I’m enjoying you right here.”
His hands eased up my skirt; he felt how wet my insides were. I was too thrilled to make him stop, but I suggested getting inside of the car. As we stepped to the other side of my car, Raymond opened the door. I scooted backwards on the back seat and he crawled on top of me. His white linen shirt was drenched and clung to his body. To feel him like I wanted to, I hurried to unbutton it. He was too tall to close the door, and when he lowered himself between my legs, the door being open gave him plenty of room. Hurrying to break inside of me, he pulled down my panties. I kicked them off my feet. He tasted me first, and since the moment was so intense, it didn’t take long for me to spray my juices on his lips.
“You taste good,” he said, licking across his lips. He then moved closer, causing me to spread my legs further apart. My pussy was a slippery, wet mess as he entered me. The look on his face showed pure satisfaction. He tightened his eyes and never failed to entertain my breasts while he stroked me.
“Cydney, Cydney, Cydney,” he moaned. “What are you doing to me?”
“The same thing you’re doing to me,” I whispered.
As he began to wet my nipples, I lifted his face and brought it to mine. I sucked on his bottom lip and twirled my tongue around in his mouth. He accepted my taste. I couldn’t imagine myself being anywhere, but right here with him.
“Raymond, what are we going to do? Why do you have to live so far away? I need you…I need this.”
“Me too,” he softly said. His words caused me to work even harder, and within moments, his six-pack was moving in and out and his body trembled all over. He planted delicate kisses along the side of my neck and kissed it.
“Wonderful. Just wonderful.”
I smiled and when we heard the sound of wet tires driving on the pavement, and saw shining lights inside of the car, I panicked. Raymond’s head snapped up and his eyes slowly followed a car as it passed by us.
“Who is it?” I whispered.
“I don’t know. She’s gone.”
I let out a sigh of relief. Raymond eased out of me, and then he got out of the car. I quickly sat up, and after he zipped his pants, he got back in and closed the door. He sat next to me and put his arm around my shoulders.
“Are you cold?” he asked.
“Freezing,” I said, trying to button the few buttons on my blouse. “The rain has me extremely cold.”
While shirtless, he placed his hand on his lap, patting it.
“Come over here and straddle me,” he said.
“Why? Haven’t you already had enough?”
“I’ll never get enough of you, Cydney. I just want to hold you. I can’t hold you from the side.”
I straddled Raymond’s lap; my breasts were directly at his face. He looked up at me with his seductive eyes.
“You have the juiciest and most succulent breasts I’ve ever seen.” He held them in his hands. “Your nipples are…they’re perfect.”
“By how much and how well you suck them, I can tell you like them.”
“I can’t help it. I’m a breasts man.” He let go of my breasts and gripped my ass. “I’m an ass man too, but your breasts are irresistible.”
When I heard another car coming, I slid off of Raymond’s lap. The car slowly drove by us, and it was another woman with her kids.
“We’d better get going,” I said, squeezing Raymond’s leg.
He lifted himself and pulled his wallet out of his pocket. He took out a card and handed it to me.
“Now, you have no excuse not to call me. Whenever you’re ready to see me again, I’ll come back. I hope you’ll work out your situation with Isaac real soon because I don’t know if I’ll be able to stay away for long.”
“I’ll do what I can. But more than anything, I’ll be sure to keep in touch.”
We both leaned in for a lengthy kiss. Afterwards, we got out and walked around to the driver’s side of my car. Raymond opened the door for me.
“I’ll keep this short,” he said. “Goodbye, until we meet again.”
He pecked my lips and I watched him go back to his car. Once I drove off, he followed.
At the end of the street, I made a left and he made a right. I was on cloud nine, and was so ready to call it quits with Isaac.
MIGUEL
Just who in the hell did Cydney think she was trying to drop like a hot potato? If she was planning to leave Isaac, she would’ve done it a long time ago. Bottom line, she wasn’t planning on doing shit but having her cake and eating it too. I hated a woman who was that damn devious. If she thought I was going to sit back and be made a fool of, she was sadly mistaken.
See, when I partnered with Isaac almost a year ago, things were pretty cool. That was until I’d taken him over to my family’s house and he’d met my moms, along with my twenty-nine-year-old sister, Trinity. I immediately noticed their attraction for one another, but I made it clear to Isaac that she was hands off. I knew what kind of nigga he was and I didn’t want her to get caught up like the other tricks in his life had. But what does a playa normally do? He stepped to her anyway. Had sex with her, several times, behind my back. When he got tired, he kicked her to the curb. She wound up getting her feelings hurt and got pregnant by him. He gave her money for an abortion, and then told her he wanted nothing else to do with her. From the beginning, I told her the motherfucker was up to no good. Then, he had the nerve to tell her not to say a word to me about it. Ever since then, I wanted to hurt him for going against my wishes. But Trinity made me promise not to get involved. Isaac had no idea that she gave me the down low about their relationship. I’m damn mad about it. I couldn’t stay out of it, and the only way I could get back at Isaac was through my involvement with his wife. She was an easy target—broken, hurt, vulnerable and confused. And since I knew so much about his extramarital affairs, I suspected her life was a living hell.
At first, Cydney welcomed me with opened arms. Sex between us occurred a few times, but then, she started feeling guilty. For what! That’s what I wanted to know. How could she feel guilty, when he was the one constantly fucking around on her? Either she was just plain stupid, or deep down, Cydney loved Isaac more than she loved herself.
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