by Pat Tucker
They were at the 59 Diner in Stafford, and she didn’t have lots of time. Even if she had all the time in the world, he was the very last person she wanted to spend time with.
“Why did you want to meet with me?” Samantha asked before he could settle into the seat across from her. She didn’t even attempt to mask the sarcastic tone in her voice. She wasn’t happy about being there and didn’t care whether he knew it.
“I’ll get straight to the point,” he said. “I think you’re a bad influence on Leela, and I think you need to back off.”
Samantha looked at him side-eyed. She couldn’t believe her ears.
“Uh. Leela is a grown woman. You act like we’re in grade school or something. I can’t force your wife to do anything she doesn’t want to do,” she said.
With an adamant shake of his head, Riley’s narrowed eyes zeroed in on Samantha.
But she remained cool under his glare. He may have walked around thinking that his biceps and muscles made others fear him, but she wasn’t the least bit afraid.
“If I knew this was the kind of bull you asked me to come here for, I would’ve hung up the second you called,” she snarled.
“So that’s how you wanna play this then?” Riley leaned back in his seat. He blew out an exhausted breath.
Samantha frowned. Her eyebrows inched upward. “What the hell are you talking about? If you think your wife has done or is doing something, maybe you should be talking to her instead of me!”
Defiant, Samantha arched her shoulders and folded her arms across her chest. She had made her position crystal clear. He could accept it or not, she didn’t care.
“Look, I ain’t got nothing against you. I get it. I get you are single now, running around proving you still got it and all that shit, but what I’m saying is, you don’t need to drag your friend down with you,” Riley said. He used a finger to jab his words and point across.
Samantha jumped up from her seat. “Drag her down?” she huffed. “You have lost your damn mind. Look. What’s going on or not going on with you and Leela ain’t got nothing to do with me!” She tossed him one final look, then suddenly turned back. “I’ve told you before, ain’t nothing about me headed in a downward direction. I never liked your ass in the first damn place! Go beat on your chest and try to bully someone else! I’m done!”
Before Riley could say another word, Samantha stormed out of the restaurant and never looked back.
CHAPTER
29
Leela might have been fully satisfied, physically, but emotionally, she was a train wreck. She couldn’t bear to look at her own reflection in the mirror for too long without the strong urge to upchuck. Despite how hard she tried, she couldn’t wrap her mind around how she had landed herself right in the middle of a scandalous love triangle.
Because the bulk of her time spent with Malone was during Free Fridays, technically, she didn’t have to confess anything to Riley about what she had done, but she found the weight of that secret was like dragging a large cement block around.
Besides, who spent mornings sipping champagne and eating strawberries?
“Wanna know a secret about one of the many benefits of strawberries for women?” Malone had asked.
His deep voice was so sexy to her.
“I didn’t realize there were many benefits,” Leela had said as she took a bite of one.
“Come over here so I can whisper it in your ear,” Malone had said, wearing a sly grin.
Leela had leaned in close.
She’d giggled after he whispered in her ear.
“I’m serious.”
“You’re full of it,” Leela said, as she pulled back and laughed at his comment.
Malone threw two fingers up. “Scout’s honor. I’m serious.”
“So you’re telling me that eating strawberries makes it sweeter down there?”
“Here, let me double-check and I’ll tell you,” he joked.
Before she could stop him, he had eased his way between her thighs again. Blissful pleasure was right around the corner and she enjoyed every bit of it.
The situation with Malone had gotten completely out of control.
There was no way she was about to give in to more thoughts about him. She would throw herself into her marriage; she had a good solid three weeks before the next Free Friday rolled around. She could get that man out of her system and do what a good wife was supposed to do. Couldn’t she?
She rose from her mid-afternoon nap and had a sudden urge to go and find her husband. That was part of the problem. They didn’t spend enough time together. She and Riley moved around their large house like roommates at times. He spent a great deal of time in his space, and she was confined to her own. Before Free Fridays, it didn’t bother her as much.
Leela was tired of it. She was about to try and shake things up a bit. She decided that if she brought some spontaneity to their marriage, she’d remember what she had in her husband and would be better able to resist Malone. Forget the fact that he had completely ravished her in her dreams, or the fact that he sent sweet text messages regularly to let her know she was on his mind; she could resist all of that.
Leela strode through their home and glanced lovingly at the black and silver picture frames that captured images of their once happy life together. She was confident they could reclaim that and then some; all she had to do was focus on what was important.
“I thought we could go see a movie or go out to dinner,” she said as she stood in the doorway of Riley’s oasis.
She’d been standing there for a while before she let her presence be known. She watched her husband and wondered how she had fallen so quickly for another man. Riley had his issues, but who didn’t? When did she fall out of love and into lust and when did that lust morph into so much more? The truth was, she had fallen for Malone as if it was one of the most natural things to do. And for Leela, that was scary.
“Yeah, a dinner and a movie, that’ll work,” Riley said as he turned to look at her. “Give me a few minutes.”
Leela turned and walked away. Of course she could do it; she had to. Her marriage depended on it.
• • •
A week before the next Free Friday, Riley sat on a table at the spa. He had yet to receive a compliment about it, but he knew the procedure had made a difference. He felt better about himself and that was all that mattered. His thoughts were broken when a man in a white lab coat walked back into the room.
“Do you have any more questions?” he asked.
“No. I think we’re good. Oh, wait, how long will this take?”
The man picked up the clipboard from the nearby counter and flipped through a couple of pages.
“Well, the typical Male Laser Lift usually takes about forty-five minutes,” he said.
Riley shook his head. “Yeah, I know that. I meant, before I start seeing the results I want.”
“Oh. I’m sorry. Yeah, this is your third treatment, right? You should’ve seen results after the first time. We’re talking lasers here, so discoloration, hair, and some of the wrinkles are zapped away immediately.” The technician flipped through more pages. “Why, are you not seeing any results at all?”
A hint of alarm eased into Riley’s green eyes.
Thoughts of what Bill would say if he knew that Riley had resorted to ‘ball ironing’ flashed through his mind once again. The truth was, lately he felt himself trying to correct quite a few things that never seemed to bother him in the past. How could he compete with another man when he had no idea who dude was? There was no other man! He was the man! He was the one and only man! If Leela dared step out on him, she’d realize that no other man would ever take his place. Look at Natasha. After all these years, she’d come to realize what he already knew: real men are hard to find.
“No. It’s good. I am. I was just wondering how many more times I need to have the procedure done; that’s all.”
“Oh. Okay. Well, it’s really up to you. When you’re satisfied,
we can stop.”
Riley didn’t respond.
“Are you ready?”
“Yeah, I’m good.”
He eased back onto the table and spread his legs.
Later, as he was leaving the spa, Bill called. “Yo, Dawg, where you at?”
Nervously, Riley looked around. Had he jinxed himself with thoughts of Bill during his secret procedure?
“Why? What’s up?”
“Now I need a reason to check in on my boy?”
“Nah, nothing like that,” Riley said. “Actually, I’m just leaving an appointment; about to head back to the office.”
“Oh shit, what you getting done now? Wait, lemme guess, more teeth whitening? Oh, no, maybe it’s one of those Brazilian wax jobs! Damn, Playboy, you got it bad. You add all this extra grooming, with the monthly cycle, and all your new feelings, and I might need to go file a missing person’s report,” Bill chided.
“Man, chill, all that ain’t even necessary.”
“Oh, well, tell me something. I’m just checking, ’cause my real boy is straight M-I-A.”
“I was meeting with a client. You know, the kind of work you used to do?” Riley said.
“Oh. Okay. I see you got jokes. But that’s all right. I’m almost back. My lawyer has a meeting in a couple of weeks. Looks like I should be back at the ol’ salt mine by the end of the month if all goes well.”
“That’s what’s up, Dawg! That’s what’s up.”
Riley pushed Bill’s jokes to the back of his mind but only temporarily. As they went back and forth, he steered his car into traffic and thought about whether he was losing his confidence.
He already felt like his wife had checked out. The last thing he wanted to do was start getting all emotional like Bill had accused him of being.
As they wrapped up their call, Riley made a decision. It was time for him to step up and do what men are supposed to do, and he meant that in all aspects of his life: at the office, at home with his wife and even with Natasha.
CHAPTER
30
A few days later, as she strolled through the office and toward her assistant’s cubicle, Leela felt like something strange was going on. At work, she prided herself on her ability to remain beneath the surface. She was friendly to everyone, but her guard remained up at all times. And since she wasn’t one to socialize much at work, she ignored it when she saw some of her colleagues near the water cooler and others who whispered as she passed.
That was what cheating did; it made you paranoid. For all she knew, her co-workers probably weren’t even focused on her.
Leela’s cell phone rang before she arrived at her office door. It was Linda, so she took the call.
“Hey, Mom,” she said.
“So?”
“So what?” Leela knew why Linda was calling. Leela had just returned from lunch with Big Mama and her grandfather. They weren’t reconciled, but saw each other weekly and Leela was convinced it was doing wonders for her grandmother’s health.
“What did he have to say for himself?” Linda asked. Her voice held its usual sour tone.
Leela passed her assistant who mouthed something and pointed toward her office door.
“I don’t understand,” Leela said.
“I’m still not sure that she should be keeping company with him. I can’t get over what he did to my mother—hell, to us all,” Linda whined.
“Well…” Leela sighed. “I get that, but while you’re over there holding him accountable or whatever it is that you’re doing, it looks like they’re moving on with their lives.”
“Oh, God! Are you trying to get them back together?” Linda asked.
Leela clutched the doorknob and opened the door.
“OhMyGod!” she exclaimed.
She nearly dropped the phone as she walked into her office and came face to face with the largest, most colorful bouquet of roses she’d ever seen. It brought a massive grin to her face. Leela felt loved and wanted.
“What?!” Linda yelled. “What happened? I knew we didn’t need to trust that bastard.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. My… I just walked into something in my office,” Leela stammered.
The pleasant scent that floated throughout the office was intoxicating. Instantly, Leela felt better. She didn’t realize how tense was until she’d released some of that trapped stress.
“Well, what the hell is it? Got you screaming like a banshee and carrying on,” Linda griped.
Leela rolled her eyes. She moved in close and inhaled. These were the kind of signs that made the guilt sink even deeper. The last few days with her husband had been wonderful. Their evening of dinner and a movie came right on time. Riley had been more attentive, and her decision to focus on their marriage for the next three weeks had been a smart move.
“Hey, Mom, I need to run. Riley just sent me the most beautiful flowers, and I want to thank him before he gets caught up in a late-afternoon meeting.”
“What about Big Mama and lunch with that snake?!” Linda yelled.
“He’s not a snake and it’s gonna have to wait. I need to run; I’ll call you later.”
“Oh no, Ma’am!”
Leela couldn’t care less about her mother’s protests. She hadn’t forgotten how Linda had thrown her under the bus over lunch with Big Mama. Her mother had a negative disposition, and she expected her to always speak her mind, but at times, the negativity was too much.
Leela ended the call with her mother and dialed her husband. As she snatched the card attached to the bouquet, she sat in the chair and greeted him cheerfully when he answered the phone.
“Hey, Sunshine, what are you so giddy about?” Riley asked.
“Oh, I just wanted to say thank you for…” Leela’s voice trailed off when her eyes connected with the words on the card.
The roses were from Malone, not Riley.
Leela’s heart threatened to stop and her throat went dry.
“Thank me for what?” Riley asked.
“Uh. I’m sorry. I dunno, um,” Leela stammered.
“Leela, what the hell is going on?” Riley asked. His tone had taken a complete turn, and there was nothing friendly about his voice. He sounded pissed and highly irritated.
“Leela!”
“Oh, sorry, Babe, something just… I need to run, I’ll call you, or see you later at home.”
Had she lost it that much? Why hadn’t she checked the card before she assumed her husband had sent the flowers? He hadn’t sent flowers to her job in more than seven years! She felt completely frazzled and tongue-tied. Before she stumbled again and put her foot completely in her mouth, she quickly hung up the phone.
Leela released a trapped breath and tried to pull herself together. Nervously, she glanced back at the bouquet. She wanted to hate it, wanted to fight the wonderful feeling that began to wash over her. Malone was making his presence known, and it was becoming more and more difficult to ignore him, like she knew she should.
He’s thoughtful, sexy, and considerate too? Did her husband even stand a chance?
• • •
“You would need to get there Friday afternoon, because the meeting is at seven forty-five Friday evening. Then the last meeting wraps up early Saturday afternoon around three thirty,” Mr. Watson, Riley’s boss, said.
Riley felt uncomfortable for the first time in his professional life. He was completely uneasy about the idea of going out of town for three days. He listened as his boss rattled off details about what needed to be accomplished during the trip. Although the trip was a couple of weeks away, he already knew he didn’t want to go.
“The papers should be signed before you leave Sunday. We have a meeting first thing Monday morning, so you need to circle back before you leave.”
He knew there was nothing he could do about the scheduled trip, but he didn’t want to leave his wife at home alone. It wouldn’t be a Free Friday weekend, but the thought still made him uncomfortable. There was no way his boss, Mr. Watson, would allo
w Riley to send someone else in his place. He understood that was nothing but wishful thinking.
After leaving the conference room, Riley strode down the hall and back toward his office.
“Franklin,” a colleague greeted as they passed each other in the hall. Riley gave an acknowledging nod and kept moving. His mind was far away from work and the upcoming trip he couldn’t avoid.
What would happen if he left his wife home alone for three entire days? Maybe he was making more out of the situation than necessary. If he didn’t trust his own wife, he knew that was a sign that they had major problems.
Riley was disappointed in himself; he had allowed Bill to get in his head and now everything drove him crazy. Six months ago, he didn’t have thoughts of his wife being with another man, but everything seemed to change once Bill and Samantha called it quits. Despite knowing that, Riley still allowed his mind to race with crazy thoughts.
He wanted to believe he was right, but his gut told him otherwise. Why had he let Bill talk him into Free Fridays in the first damn place? Better yet, why did he fall for the okie-doke? He didn’t have to prove anything to anyone, especially someone who couldn’t handle his own household when he was married.
Inside his office, Riley logged on to his computer and checked the itinerary his assistant provided. His travel plans were as good as set in stone.
He picked up the phone and was about to call his wife when he noticed she was already on the line. His plan was to ask her to accompany him on the trip. However, on such short notice, she wouldn’t be able to join him even if she wanted. She had to have at least a month’s notice for time off, and he had to leave late Thursday night. Besides, if she accompanied him, she’d be bored because the meetings and wining and dining clients.
Riley found their exchange over the phone strange, and he knew this time it wasn’t his mind playing tricks. She sounded odd, and with everything that had changed between them, it didn’t take much to feed his suspicions.
Riley pushed back his chair, got up and strode around his office. In his mind, he played out several scenarios, but none were good. Finally, he went to his cell phone and dialed Bill.
