Chris walked in; I came in behind him. Brent was on the phone, but when he saw me, his whole body locked in place. He looked at me as if he had seen a ghost. His conversation came to a halt. Mouth didn’t move, nothing. He didn’t even blink.
“Were you busy?” Chris whispered. “We can always come back. I just wanted to introduce you to our new employee, Abby.”
Brent finally blinked and stood up. “I—I’ll take care of that for you tomorrow,” he said to the caller. “Just give me a little time to look into it.”
After that, Brent dropped the phone on the receiver. He cleared his throat and kept staring at me. “Uh, Abby, nice to meet you. When do you start?”
“Tomorrow,” I said with a smile. “First thing tomorrow morning.”
Brent stepped around his desk and folded his arms as he sat against his desk. He looked so delicious to me. It looked as if he had been doing a little more working out.
“So, you’ll be in Chris’s department, right?”
“Yes. I’m looking forward to working for him. He really seems like a nice guy.”
Chris blushed again, bragging. “Yes, she’ll be working for me. I’m going to walk her outside, but before you leave today, you and I need to meet about something important. Will you have time for a brief meeting?”
“I should, maybe after lunch. I was on my way out in about five or ten minutes.”
Brent looked at me and winked. I guess that was a hint for me to hang around. I extended my hand to his, but all he touched was the very tip of my fingers. Bastard.
“Nice meeting you,” I said. “Take care.”
“You too.”
I gave it all I had when I strutted out of his office, swaying my curves from side to side. Chris walked me to the door, and after another thank you and see you tomorrow, I left. I sat in my car, waiting for Brent to come outside. And just in case he got aggressive with me, I checked my glove compartment to make sure the pocketknife I had taken from his house was still in there.
It was.
Several minutes later, Brent walked out the front door. He searched the crowded parking lot, and when I blew my horn, he headed my way. I unlocked the door for him. He got inside, slamming the door real hard, before he tore into me.
“Just when I think you’ve moved on, here you come again. Just tell me whatever I need to do to get you out of my hair. Whatever it is, I will do it. How much, Abby, can I pay you to stop this?”
“Really? You want to pay me? I don’t think you mean that.”
“I do. I swear I do. Whatever you want . . . anything.”
“I don’t want your money. Besides, you could never pay me enough to cure the hurt you caused me. And if you’re willing to do anything for me, you already know what that is. Leave your wife and come back to me.”
“Anything but that.”
“That’s all I want. I want us as a couple again. If that means we have to creep behind her back, so be it. I’m willing to do that too.”
Brent sat silently for a minute. “You know what I don’t understand, Abby?”
“What’s that?”
“You’re such a beautiful woman. You could have nearly any man that you want. Poor Chris in there so excited about you that his dick was about to bust in his pants. But, why me? Why do you keep fucking with me? Why can’t you just let me go?”
“I have let you go, but you’re the one who keeps messing with me.”
“Messing with you how?”
“You keep calling me and hanging up. You keep following me around. I can feel your presence, and I have seen your car a few times too.”
“That’s not true. It’s only in your imagination. After your performance in court, I haven’t called you, not once. And I’ve never followed you.”
I shrugged my shoulder. “Well, maybe it’s your wife calling me. Maybe it’s her driving your car. I don’t know, but something is going on. That’s why I got the restraining order. I seriously thought it was you. I want to move on too, and for the record, it is totally a coincidence that I interviewed here today. I had no idea that you worked here.”
Brent pursed his lips. I guess he didn’t believe me. “I don’t believe that for one minute. Nor do I believe my wife is calling you or following you.”
“Why wouldn’t you believe it? You’re the one who said she was capable of killing me. And with her background in the service, I’m sure she knows how to utilize some major weapons. I just couldn’t take a chance, and I had to do whatever to protect myself.”
“How are you protecting yourself right now? With a restraining order being issued, I’m not supposed to be this close to you. Therefore, you can’t accept your new position. Don’t show up tomorrow, and when Chris calls, tell him you found another job.”
I rolled my eyes at Brent. “Please. I’m not doing that. It took me too long to find a job. You’ll just have to stay as far as you can away from me, and what we’ll do is just stay out of each other’s way. That’ll work for me, if it works for you.”
“Nothing works for me. If I go in there right now and tell Chris all that has happened between us, I’ll be the one fired. If I go to the police, they won’t do shit. You really destroyed my house with that water, and in the end, I got blamed for it. I had to pay out of my ass, and the landlord wasn’t happy.”
I pretended that I didn’t know what he was talking about. “What water? I don’t know anything about water.”
Brent just shook his head. “I’m not going into details, because you already know exactly what I’m talking about. I don’t know how to get through to you, Abby, and if I could take back some things, I damn well would.”
“Well, you can’t, but look at the bright side. You and I are in this car talking, and we’re not even yelling at each other. That’s progress, I don’t care what you say. So think about what I said. Me and you again—someway or somehow, make it possible. Now, I have to go. I have a date with a man I consider the devil.”
Brent sighed, then opened the car door. I felt good about our conversation. Maybe, just maybe, things were starting to look up again. In the meantime, it was time for Eric to go fly a kite. Almost like clockwork, Eric was at my door. He came inside, dressed in his uniform and holding a walkie-talkie near his mouth.
“Let me repeat the number again, Frances. Then you can pass it along.”
“Go ahead,” she said. “I’m listening.”
He repeated a number that she, in return, confirmed. After that, he attached the walkie-talkie to his holster and leaned in for a kiss.
“I’ve been waiting to touch those sexy lips all day,” he said. “They’re always sweet and juicy, as are other things relating to you.”
I fake smiled, knowing that it was fun while it lasted, but it was time to call it quits. I wouldn’t end it the way Brent had ended it with me. And there was certainly a better way to put closure to a relationship. I took Eric by the hand, escorting him to the sitting room.
“Listen, babe, we need to talk. I’ve had some things on my mind lately, and I think it’s time for me to get them off my chest.”
Eric sat back on the couch and started to undo his shirt. A wife beater was underneath it, so he kept that on.
“What’s on your mind?” He pulled me close to him and rested his arm around my neck. His foot was pressed against the edge of my table, and he still had on his polished leather work shoes.
I rubbed his hand that was already cuffed over my breast. “I promised myself that I would never get involved with a man who was married. And no matter how hard I try, I can’t forget the look on your wife’s face when she came here. She was severely wounded. Hurt was all in her eyes, and it doesn’t make me feel good that I’m the one contributing to her pain. I recently got involved with another man who was married. His wife got upset, and she killed the two of them. They—”
Eric quickly cut me off. “What was his name?”
“Clinton. Clinton Jackson. Do you know him? He lived on the Southside.”
>
“Yep, I know him. I had many encounters with him, only because he was involved with a chick who lived in my jurisdiction. She was always calling the police on him. And that crazy chick.” He paused as if he was in thought. “Damn, I can’t remember her name.”
“Velma?”
“Yes, that’s it. She was always coming to that woman’s house to start fights. When I heard about her killing him, it was no surprise to me. That nigga had it coming. He was around here fucking a lot of women, and word on the street was he was HIV. You didn’t have sex with him, did you?”
I hurried to clear things up. “No, we never had sex, but we were friends. I had a few encounters with Velma too. She never told me she was his wife though. Neither did he.”
“The news got it wrong. They’re always getting things wrong. They weren’t married at all.”
“They may not have been married, but you are. I know that you and your wife are still together, so don’t lie. I’ve just come to the conclusion that I don’t want to do this anymore, unless you can show me that the two of you are divorced. Your word isn’t good enough. I need to see papers; papers with a seal or a filed date stamped on it.”
He removed his arm from around me, and then sat up. As he rubbed his hands together, he was in thought. “My wife and I are still together. But she’s been complaining for years about this and that. She’s not going anywhere, and that’s the truth. As for me and you, just hang in there. Don’t make this thing between us so serious.”
I hated to lie, but I didn’t need anyone in the way when Brent and I got back together. “It is serious, Eric. My feelings are involved, and I feel as if I’m falling in love with you. If she’s not going anywhere, it doesn’t mean that I’m not. So, please, allow me to walk without any hassles or regrets. We had fun, didn’t we? But there are times when the path ahead doesn’t look so clear.”
“At the end of the day, you’re right,” Eric said, then he stood up. “I’ve never forced a woman to do anything that she didn’t want to do. And if you feel as if we need to move on, what else can I say?”
“Not much, I guess.”
This seemed too easy. I thought Eric was going to turn around and punch me in my face. Instead, he grabbed his shirt and put it on. As he buttoned it, he stared at me.
“You must be back with your ex or you’ve found yourself another man. I don’t believe for one minute that this is about my wife. You’ve never been concerned with her. Now, all of a sudden, she’s a big deal. But the one thing that I don’t do is argue and fight with women. Men, that’s a different story. There are too many of you out there, and quite frankly, baby, I have a lot to choose from.”
I didn’t bother to comment. As long as he was leaving, that was good enough for me. I didn’t even waste my time walking him to the door. But after he left, I locked it and returned to my bedroom. I lay across the bed, sighing from relief. Brent was on my mind. I wondered how well he and I would get along at work. Tomorrow couldn’t get here fast enough.
Chapter Fourteen
The answer to my question was confirmed a few days later. Brent and I got along well. For the most part, he stayed out of my way, and I stayed out of his. We spoke to each other here and there, but when I asked if he’d made a decision about spending time with me, he replied, “Not yet, but soon.”
His comment gave me hope. The way we got along gave me hope as well. I was starting to feel at peace, even though that daughter of mine was no longer in the picture. I thought about Kendal a lot. Even considered going back to Barbara’s house to speak to her. But deep down, I knew it would be a waste of time. And if Kendal wanted to talk, she knew where to find me. I was still at the same address and was back on track with my bills.
The only little downside at work was Chris. He flirted with me a lot, and even though I was just okay with it, some of the things he’d said rubbed me the wrong way. Filing a harassment suit was in the back of my mind, and if things got too out of hand, I would do what I had to do. The only reason I hadn’t done anything yet was because I loved being this close to Brent. I didn’t want anything to jeopardize our chances of possibly getting back together. He seemed as if he may have wanted that too, and for him to be so in love with his wife, not once did I see her here. No one even knew who she was, and when I inquired about him to some of my coworkers, they said they didn’t even know he was married. They admitted to seeing his ring, but for his wife to not even show up here was kind of odd. Maybe he would bring her to the Christmas party tomorrow. Then again, maybe he didn’t want her to know that I was working with him. That made more sense. He didn’t tell her because he knew, behind closed doors, I would be his little secret.
I said good-bye to everyone for the day, and as I was walking to my car, Brent called after me. I turned around, smiling as he headed my way.
“Hey, you got a minute?” he said.
“For you, I always do.”
This time, we got into his car, instead of mine.
“Are you going to the Christmas party tomorrow?”
“I was planning on it. Are you?”
“Yeah, I’ll be there. I may be late, but I’ll be there.”
“Why are you going to be late?”
“Because I promised Lajuanna that I would go somewhere with her first. We’ve been arguing a lot lately, and nothing I do seems to do make her happy these days.”
“I can’t say that I’m sorry to hear that, because I’m not. I wish you would go ahead and end it with her. You never told me why the two of you separated to begin with. Maybe it was a bad idea for the two of you to get back together again.”
Brent looked straight-ahead while tapping his finger on the steering wheel. “The reason why we were separated was because she cheated on me with her sergeant while in the service. She got pregnant by him too. When she lost the baby, everything went downhill. He wasn’t there for her, and she came running back to me. I didn’t want to take her back, but I was so in love with her. Every time I left to go out of town, I went to her place so we could try to work things out. Slowly but surely, we were able to piece our marriage back together. That’s why I wound up breaking your heart. I’m really sorry, Abby. Now that things aren’t going as she and I had hoped, I’m starting to feel as if I made some serious mistakes.”
I wanted to jump for joy, but Brent seemed so hurt that I didn’t want to rub him the wrong way. “You did make a huge mistake. A lot of mistakes, Brent, and had I known all of this, maybe things could have been different. But, just so you know, I’m still here for you. And whenever you’re ready for me, just let me know.”
“I appreciate that. I’ll see you at the Christmas party. From what I hear, the parties are a lot of fun. Just do yourself a favor and stay away from Chris. That man is in love with you. There are times when I just want to tell him that you . . .” he paused.
“That I’m what?”
“That you’re already taken.”
If he never got my hopes up before, he just did. I wanted to reach over, hug Brent, and give him the biggest kiss ever. But in due time that would happen. First things first. And to speed things along, maybe I needed to think of a plan to help him get rid of his wife for good.
* * *
The Christmas party lived up to the hype. It was a blast. It was at the Hilton, where many of my coworkers were so toasted that they had to stay the night. I was tipsy, but I was able to handle my liquor. Brent had been drinking a lot too, but Chris had gone overboard. As I was coming out of the ladies’ room in my red silk dress, there he was standing by the water fountain. His brown hair was sweaty, tie was undone, and shirt was wrinkled. He’d been dancing all night, clowning and acting a fool. His date seemed a little embarrassed, but when she started drinking, they fit each other very well. I was shocked to see that she was a black woman. Seemed as if Chris had a thing for women like me.
“Hiii, Beautiful,” he slurred as I attempted to walk past him. “Are you having a good time?”
“Fabulous
time. I needed this for sure. It’s been a long time since I’ve partied this hard.”
“Me too. I was looking for you so we could dance. Do you want to dance later?”
“Maybe, but not right now, Chris. I just want to chill, listen to the good music, and chat with the others.”
He took a sip from the bottle of beer in his hand. His eyes stayed locked on me. “Anything else you want to do? I mean, you’re so freaking sexy, man. I . . . I think I’m in love. I was hoping that we could kind of hook up, if you know what I mean.”
“Of course, I know what you mean. But I’m dating someone right now, Chris. If I wasn’t, then we could definitely hook up. But the relationship I’m in is pretty serious. We’ve been talking marriage, so don’t get your hopes up.”
Chris shrugged, then he moved closer to me. He lifted the beer bottle, placing it at the top of my chest, then lowering it between my meaty cleavage that was on display. “I can be just as good to you as your man is. And being with me has great rewards. You’ll get raises, more money, more vacations, and everything. Just think about it for a while and let me know. Meanwhile, would it be possible for me to have one little kiss? Just one? One for the holiday?”
I backed away from Chris, but he reached out and grabbed my waist. He pulled me close to him, and when he puckered, that’s when Brent spoke up.
“Chris, go have a seat. You’re drunk, man, and you’re starting to make a fool of yourself.”
Chris laughed, then he released me. He stumbled backward, took another sip of the beer, and looked at Brent.
“Daaaamn. I almost lost control of myself. But she’s so beautiful that I”—he paused to belch—“I almost lost it. It’s easy to get lost in a woman like that. Don’t you think so, man? She’s perfect, isn’t she?”
His words were on point, but all Brent did was look at me, then back at Chris. “She’s a sweet woman,” he said. “Now, go sit down or go get yourself a room. You shouldn’t be driving like that, you know.”
“No, no, I won’t. I already got a room. And, sweetheart,” he said, looking at me, “if you want to join me, my room number is 218. My date will be there, but if you show, she’s going home.”
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