“So how was your day?” he asked, hoping to break the ice.
“It was okay. Felt kind of funny, but things will be back to normal in a couple of days.”
Blake took his seat and said his grace before eating. “You didn’t have trouble with anyone did you?”
“A few snares and stares don’t scare me,” she responded, as she took a sip from her drink.
“If anyone gives you a hard time, let me know and I’ll handle it.”
“I can handle my own problems.”
“I didn’t say you couldn’t. I just don’t want anyone giving you a hard time because of our relationship.”
“Don’t worry yourself.”
Blake stopped eating. He put his fork down. “Cat. As long as you’re my wife, your worries are my worries.”
“I’m counting the days on the calendar,” she snapped.
“Sweetheart, you don’t have to be like that. We can make this work.”
“Here I thought you were a realist. Wake up from the fantasy, because you and I. It’s not happening,” Caitlyn responded.
Betty walked in carrying a dessert. “Caitlyn, I was told peach cobbler was your favorite.”
“It is. You’re spoiling me.” Caitlyn ignored Blake, as she dug into her dessert.
Blake watched her in amusement. She couldn’t fool him. Her attempt to ignore him said more than her words could. He felt rejuvenated. He now felt like he had a chance. He saved his business, now he set out to save his marriage.
“Cat, remember earlier I said I wanted to talk to you.”
“Can it wait? I ate so much, all I feel like doing is laying down.”
“Go upstairs. I’ll stop by your room, when I’m through.”
He watched her leave the room. His cell phone vibrated breaking the trance. “The honeymoon must still be going on, because you hardly have time for your boy these days,” Trent said, from the other end of the phone.
“I’ve only been married for about three weeks, so stop tripping,” he responded.
“So tell me, did you consummate the union or do you have blue balls?”
“Trent, you need to mind your own business.”
“You must not be because you’re too tense.” Trent laughed from the other end.
“I’m tense because of Tara.”
“Tara? I’m trying to remember her.”
“Tara Spain. The one you said looked like Ms America but had an attitude that rivaled a bull.”
“Oh yeah. What’s up with her?”
“Man, she got killed in a car accident a few years ago.”
“Sorry to hear that. I wouldn’t wish that on anybody.”
“Well, she had a baby and failed to tell me the child was mine.”
“Get out of here. You’re a daddy. Did you do a blood test?”
“I did all of that three years ago, but come to find out, Tara altered the results.”
“I knew she was crazy.”
“Now I got to figure out what I’m going to do. He’s my son, so I got to figure out how I can make him a part of my life.”
Trent sighed into the phone. “What did Caitlyn say?”
“I haven’t told her yet.”
“Good luck with that.”
“Speaking of my wife.” Blake stressed the word ‘wife’ “is waiting for me upstairs.”
“Well my booty call is waiting for me, so you go get yours, because I’m definitely going to get mine.”
Blake stood in Caitlyn’s doorway. Her eyes were closed and she was bopping her head up and down. She had changed into a pair of pink hip-hugging shorts and small t-shirt. Her breasts appeared to be bursting over the seams. Blake adjusted his pants before walking through the door.
Caitlyn, I know you didn’t sign on for this but we’re about to become parents. I pray Christopher’s adopted parents understood, but he’s my son and a son needed his father.
Chapter 36
Caitlyn felt Blake’s presence long before he entered the room. His cologne attacked her senses, the moment he entered. She kept her eyes shut until she felt Blake’s hand brush against her arm. She opened her eyes and removed the headphones from her ear. “So what did you want to talk about?”
Blake sat down on the edge of her bed. “You. Me. Us.”
“Do you want to make an amendment to our contract?”
He shook his head no.
Caitlyn responded, “Then there’s nothing for us to talk about.”
“We have eleven more months together, so can we. I plead. I beg. Can we try to get along? The tension between us is getting to me.”
“Really. Well you haven’t seen nothing yet.”
She placed her earphones back in her ear. She didn’t have the volume up so it irritated her when he yelled out her name a few times.
She snatched them out of her ear. “What? I’m trying to relax.”
Blake set on the edge of the bed. He repeated to her what he told Trent earlier about Christopher. Caitlyn stared in disbelief. “Why did it take three years for you to discover this?”
“I don’t have an answer for it.”
“I don’t know if I can deal with all this.” Caitlyn hands flew up in the air.
“You’re my wife. We’re supposed to be in this together.”
Caitlyn was afraid to give in to her feelings. She loved Blake but didn’t trust him enough to share all of herself with him. News of a child had her head hurting. “I’m your wife in public, but behind closed doors, this is what it is. Now I’d appreciate it, if you would leave my room.” She frowned. “And please close the door.”
Blake didn’t say another word. He left and did as she asked. When the door shut, instead of feeling relieved, Caitlyn became frustrated with the uncertainty of their relationship. Having a child thrown into the equation only complicated matters further. She attempted to go to sleep, but instead tossed and turned in bed. She expected Blake to return, but he never did.
Caitlyn decided to go check on Blake. Blake’s bedroom door was closed. Light shined from the bottom of it. I’ll talk to him later. She closed her door back, pulled out her journal and wrote down the events of the past day. There were several questions she had for Blake about Christopher. She asked herself, Am I ready to be a mom. Would the child’s adopted parents even let them be a part of his life? With heavy eyelids, Caitlyn closed the journal and placed it on the nightstand.
The alarm clock buzzed for a long time before Caitlyn woke up. She jumped up, hoping to catch Blake. Overnight, she realized she may have been too hard on him. Finding out he’s a dad out of the blue had to be stressful. She owed him an apology for the attitude she gave him the previous night. After getting dressed, Betty informed her Blake had left a few hours before.
“How can that be? It’s only seven.”
“He said he had a meeting to prepare for. I try my best not to interfere in his business.”
“Did he leave a message for me?” Caitlyn asked.
“None that I’m aware of,” Betty responded, as she piled food on Caitlyn’s plate.
Caitlyn tried not to let her disappointment show. She ate her food and left for work. She could feel depression setting on. She called Bradford hoping he could cheer her up. “Hi, Brad.”
“Don’t talk to me,” Bradford teased.
“Brad, I’m sorry. I’m trying to adjust to the married life.”
“Forget your family. Forget your friends. That’s how you rich snobs do.”
Bradford talked to her during her entire trip to the office. By the time she pulled up in the parking garage, he had her side hurting from laughing so hard. She could always depend on her brother to cheer her up.
Mark, the security guard, held the elevator for her. “How’s it going Mrs. Banks?” he asked.
“Now when did we get so formal,” she teased.
“I know how some folks are. I didn’t want to be disrespectful.”
“Mark come on. It’s me. The same Caitlyn you’ve always known.�
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“Just checking. Have a good day.”
“You too,” she responded, as the elevator door closed.
She decided to make a detour to Blake’s office before heading to hers. Joan was her usual cheerful self. “He’s in his office. Go right on in,” she said, after greeting Caitlyn.
Blake was on the phone, so she took a seat in the chair across from him until he ended his call. He hung up and the sparkle that was usually in his eyes wasn’t there. “What do you need Caitlyn?” he asked.
“I stopped by to see you before getting my day started,” she responded.
He looked at the clock on the wall. “You must be running late, because it’s after nine. I thought your day usually started around eight.”
“It normally does, but I overslept this morning and you were gone.”
“Maybe you need a better alarm clock. I’ll make sure I get the old one replaced.”
“It wasn’t the clock. It worked fine. I didn’t sleep well last night,” she confessed.
“I can get the mattress replaced if it’s causing you not to get any sleep.”
“I think I ate too much.”
“Can’t have that can we? You do have to watch your figure.”
“You think I’ve put on weight.”
“Most men love meat on a woman’s bones.”
“What about you Blake? What do you like?”
“My opinion doesn’t matter.”
Caitlyn changed the subject. “Did you want to talk about your child?”
“When I wanted to talk, you pushed me away. Now I don’t feel like talking.”
Blake was now giving her the same type of attitude she gave him the night before. Caitlyn didn’t like it. She took a few deep breaths. “About last night, I wanted to apologize.”
“Apology accepted, now was there anything else?” Blake looked at the clock.
“No, nothing else,” she responded, before storming out of his office.
Caitlyn spent the morning in staff meetings. Being a manager involved more meetings and more paper work than she realized. To say her day wasn’t turning out well was an understatement. Her peers were letting their true colors show. Lucky for them, she was a professional; otherwise, she would have said some things to them. She refused to let them or anyone else disrespect her. Contrary to what they thought, she earned her promotion the right way. With her MBA, she should have been in this position when hired into the company, but it wasn’t their business, she had an ulterior motive for wanting to work there and had no problems starting off as a project manager.
Now that she was Mrs. Banks, did they really expect her to deal with their blatant attitudes? She only had to say a word, and they would be fired. In fact, she would be keeping a special folder documenting her peers’ actions.
Blake wasn’t accepting any of her calls and that was unlike him. Caitlyn needed to learn as much as she could about Blake’s child and the child’s mother. She refused to let the child come in between them.
Chapter 37
Blake didn’t come home until after nine that night. Caitlyn purposely left her door open so she could see him come in. She heard Blake as he walked up the stairs. He didn’t bother to stop by her room to speak to her. Her light was on, so she had no doubts he could have least stuck his head in the door to check on her.
His door slammed shut and it irritated her. Caitlyn threw her journal on the night stand before setting her alarm clock to wake her up an hour earlier than her normal time. She tossed and turned the entire night. By the time she got downstairs, Blake was gone. His bad attitude had gone on long enough. She was determined to get to the bottom of things.
Caitlyn decided to work from home so she could do some snooping around. She sent out a broadcast message to her staff informing them she would be available by cell phone if they needed her. Maybe Blake was hiding something else. It was about time she got better acquainted with her surroundings.
With it being the middle of the week, the house staff was off, so she could snoop at her leisure. She acquainted herself with each room. She saved Blake’s office for last. She looked for a secret compartment. Most people of Blake’s status had them. She removed book after book on the bookshelf, but was unable to find anything.
She sat at his desk and twirled around in the big burgundy leather chair. His office line rang. She wondered who would be calling in the middle of the day, when most folks knew he would be in the office or at the very least would have tried him on his cell phone. Curiosity got the best of her, she answered.
“Banks resident, how may I help you?”
“Is Blake there?” a female voice asked from the other end.
“I’m sorry. But Mr. Banks is not available. Would you like to leave a message?”
“This is Kandie Reins. Please let him know I’m back in town.”
“I’ll give him the message.”
“Who am I speaking with if you don’t mind me asking?” Kandie asked.
“No, I don’t. This is Mrs. Banks.”
“Mrs. Banks. I thought Blake told me his mother was dead.”
“She is. This is Mrs. Banks. His wife,” Caitlyn responded.
Silence. “Hello,” Caitlyn said a few times.
The phone clicked. Less than ten minutes later, the phone rang again. She picked up.
“Why are you answering my business line and why aren’t you in the office?” Blake asked, sounding upset from the other end.
She stuttered, “I…well…you’re the one trying to hide something.”
“I don’t have time for games. I have a business to run.”
“I’m working from home, because I feel like it. I’m in your office because you have a big desk and internet connection. Now how was I supposed to know one of your many women was going to call?”
“We’ll talk when I get home.”
“I’ll probably be sleep when you get home.”
“Tonight, I’ll make it a point of coming home early.”
“Please don’t come home early on my account.”
“I got some people waiting for me. I’ll see you later.” Blake hung up.
Caitlyn wondered why he had an attitude with her. He was probably upset she messed things up with Kandie. Blake was her man now, and she had no plans on giving him up. Then again, if after a year, he wanted out, she would give it to him. She didn’t want a man who didn’t want her.
An idea crossed her mind. She turned to the address and phone number section of her organizer. She needed someone to help her with her dilemma. She was not going to sit here and let Blake hurt her. She had to do something to protect her heart. If the marriage was going to end, it would end on her terms. Not his. She pulled out her cell phone and left a message for an old college buddy.
Caitlyn’s investigation didn’t result in any new information, so she spent a few hours working on reports. Tired and hungry, she decided she would venture to the kitchen. She went to the gray steel refrigerator to see if she needed to make a trip to the supermarket. The kitchen looked like it could have been right off the pages of Better Homes and Garden with its marbled counter tops and steel stove and range. The fully stocked refrigerator offered many choices. Caitlyn spent the afternoon cooking. She chose to cook something quick and easy—steak and potatoes.
“Something smells good,” Blake said, as he entered the kitchen.
Caitlyn stirred sugar into the pitcher of lemonade. “I hope you don’t mind.”
“This is your kitchen as long as you’re here.”
“I thought we would eat in here for a change. The dining room can be so formal.”
“Let me wash up and I’ll be back.”
She set the table in the kitchen and placed the food on the plates and poured their drinks. The table was set and ready by the time Blake returned. They ate while talking about things at the office. Caitlyn felt relieved they were talking. She didn’t forget about Kandie’s phone call earlier.
“So who is Kandie?”
“Kandie is someone from my past. You don’t have to worry about her calling again.”
“So how did she take it when you told her you were no longer available?”
“Believe it or not she congratulated me. We used to kick it but her business requires her to travel a lot, so we hardly saw each other.”
“Kandie, Samantha, what other women should I be concerned with?”
“Cat, you’re a hand full. I have no time for any other women. Believe that.”
Caitlyn held up her butter knife. “Don’t make me cut you.”
“I like a ride and die chick.”
“Man, you’re crazy.” Caitlyn laughed.
“I got the dishes. Why don’t you just sit and talk to me,” Blake said.
“I’ll wait for you to finish. You might want to throw a plate at me or something,” she joked. Caitlyn hummed the lyrics to Rihanna’s song, “I’m breaking dishes up in here…”
Blake washed, while she dried. “You know, it’s strange learning you have a son.”
“So were you and his mom close?” Caitlyn asked.
“We had our fling.”
“I’m surprised a playboy like yourself took chances like that and didn’t use a condom.”
“Oh I didn’t play Russian roulette. The condom burst. I use a condom with every woman I’m with.”
“You didn’t use one with me.”
“You’re my wife.”
“But still. Neither one of us had the talk about sexual transmitted diseases. We both could be in danger.”
“I have a clean bill of health. Do you have any diseases I should be concerned about?”
“No. That’s not the point. It’s the fact that we both were so careless. Next time, we’re using a condom.”
Blake splashed dishwater on her by accident. “So you’re admitting there’s going to be a next time.”
Caitlyn wiped the water off her arm. “I didn’t mean to say all of that. Just speaking hypothetically.”
“You won’t get any complaints from me if we do. Like Marvin, I need some sexual healing.”
Betrayed by Trust Page 14
