by Mike Dagons
“You must be joking,” he chuckled dryly, but he didn’t think it was funny.
“No, I’m sorry, I’m not. He just sent me a text message that I’m sure was meant for your wife.”
“What kind of message?” he took off his apron and laid it on the table.
“I’m going to forward it to you, and then you can decide for yourself. I have twin boys, so I can’t just hop in my car and go to check it out. I was told that you’re a detective, so I’m hoping that you’ll at least investigate it,” she ended the call abruptly.
The incoming message signal went off on his phone before he could put it away. The message read; Kenyah, I really want to talk to you. Can we go to the Holiday Inn after shift tonight?”
Trent had suddenly felt dizzy, and had to lean back against his kitchen counter for support. He never talked to Kenyah about his work. He couldn’t, and he thanked God that she had never pressed him for answers about where he was spending his days and nights.
It didn’t mean she was content with how they were living. He knew that, but he thought she understood. He thought she might be feeling neglected the last time he talked to her, but he never even considered she might look for affection outside of their marriage.
The more he thought about it, the more agitated he became. Finally, the idea of her being with another man had him so riled, he had to go and check it out.
He retrieved his Beretta from his safe, holstered it, and then put on a lightweight jacket to conceal it. He didn’t believe he was going to need the weapon when he left home, but he made a habit of carrying at all times.
On the drive to her job, he tried not to think about any of it because he didn’t want his head to be clouded with preconceived notions when he saw her.
When he pulled into the lot, he had every intention of giving her a chance to explain. Sure, it sounded like the man wanted to cheat on his wife, but it wasn’t proof positive that Kenyah was party to it.
He arrived about ten minutes before her shift ended. He drove up one aisle of parked cars and down another until he saw Kenyah’s car. And then he parked his truck in a space that would give him an unobstructed view of it, and the building’s exit doors. All he needed to do was wait on her shift to end. She’d come out the building, and they’d calmly talk about it.
While he was sitting there waiting, he thought it might be a better idea to follow her instead of showing himself right away.
He was about to move his truck when a herd of people trampled out the door. He didn’t see Kenyah, but it was too late to change the plan.
When a second wave poured out, he spotted her. It was hard to keep eyes on her at first because the group was big, and people were scattering in different directions; all of them converging on the lot, and at times blocking his line of vision.
At first it looked like she was alone, and he remembered thinking how beautiful she looked with her bangs falling over her eyes, and her ponytail swinging briskly.
Then a man pulled her off to the side, and he watched them talking. It looked like casual conversation from where he was sitting, and that was okay.
Trent saw him raise his hand and touch her face, but she pushed it away, so that was okay too. Then he kissed her, and she didn’t pull away.
The kiss was quick, just a light touch of lips. It could have been innocent, but the way they stood gazing into each other’s eyes was not innocent, and it definitely was not okay.
There was no mistaking the sexual attraction between them, and seeing it ignited his temper like throwing gasoline on a crackling fire. He got hot! The next thing he knew, he was out the truck and running to get to them. They were so caught up in each other they didn’t even see or hear him coming.
Trent wasn’t planning to hit her, but when she turned around with that big ass grin on her face, he lost it. He hit her before he knew it. Hell, he’d come that close to shooting both of them.
Witnessing their intimate exchange had made him feel dead inside, turned him into a shell of a man. He had hit his wife, something he had never even thought about doing before. He had managed to walk away without killing anyone, but like a zombie, he was feeling robbed of life.
When he got home, he looked at his transfer papers on the beautifully set dining table. Just a few hours ago they carried so much hope, but now they meant nothing.
He went into his bedroom and took off his shoulder holster. He looked at the Beretta, and thought about what he’d almost done. He had too much at stake, and it was stupid for him to let a caller provoke him to go to Kenyah’s job.
Realizing he was still too angry to trust himself with the weapon, he locked it back in the safe. He took off his shirt and shoes, and then sat down on his bed. He couldn’t stop himself from wondering if the man had been in it keeping his wife warm all those nights he wasn’t home.
He cursed the job for making him spend all those nights with Xena when he should have been home with his wife, and then he cursed himself for allowing the job to become more important than his marriage.
Trent stretched out across the fluffy white comforter feeling exhausted and bewildered.
Kenyah turned the key to their front door. “Trent!” she called out as she stepped inside the dark hall.
It was quiet, but she had seen his truck parked on the street, so she knew he was home. “Trent!” she turned lights on as she moved from one room to another.
She walked down the hall to their bedroom and pushed the door open. Trent was on his back with his hands folded under his head.
Kenyah turned on the lights, and he looked over at her.
“Can I come in?” she asked timidly.
He sprang up and put his feet on the floor. He sat on the side of the bed looking at her standing in the doorway waiting to get his permission to enter her own bedroom.
A dark red bruise glowed against her almond brown complexion, and seeing what he’d done to her face made him feel like shit.
“It’s your bedroom, you don’t need my permission to come in it,” he stared at her meanly. “What you got to say?!” he barked suddenly, and it made her jump like a scared rabbit.
Her eyes started to water, and once again he felt like shit. “Come on in and talk to me,” he said in a calmer voice.
Kenyah moved inside the room cautiously. She had told Desmond that she wasn’t afraid of her husband, but this man didn’t look or act anything like the husband she knew.
His appearance had changed so much. His biceps and chest were hard with muscle, and his abs rippled in twin packs of three. His hair was an inch longer, and he’d grown a goatee. He had diamond studs in his ears, and a skull tattooed on his forearm. And what had been warm amber eyes, where now cold and mean.
“You have something to say or not?”
“I’m sorry that I let him kiss me,” she walked over and got down on her knees between his legs. “I was wrong, and I’m asking you to forgive me, please.”
She wanted him to know that she hadn’t turned to Desmond because she didn’t love him, but given the way he had reacted to seeing them, she was scared to admit she had been with him at all.
“His wife thinks you’re having an affair with him, are you?”
“No, I’m not,” she answered quickly.
Trent took hold of her shoulders and eyed her suspiciously.
“No, I am not,” she repeated, holding his gaze.
It wasn’t a complete lie. She’d had sex with him once, but you could hardly call it an affair.
“Were you going to meet him tonight for sex?”
“He never asked me to do that, Trent, but no, I wouldn’t have if he had asked.”
“Then what was with the kissing, Kenyah?
“What you saw was him kissing me, Trent.”
“Please, I saw the way you were looking at each other!” Remembering it sparked his anger. “Is your only defense a play on words?”
“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to belittle what you saw or what I did. It shouldn’t
have happened, and I’m sorry. It’s just the kiss took me by surprise. I wasn’t expecting it. Desmond is a nice guy. I admit that I was flattered by the attention, but I never…I know it was wrong for us to do,” she struggled to find words to use that wouldn’t piss him off. “We both had a momentary lapse in judgment, but we wouldn’t have let things go any further than the kiss, I swear.”
“Are you sure about that, Kenyah? He invited you to join him at a hotel, not a bar. Have you been to a hotel with him before?”
“No, I haven’t,” she answered with indignation. “Trent, I have been missing you so badly. I haven’t seen or talked to you in months, and I was feeling lonely.”
“Did you think I’d gotten someone else…divorced you?”
Feeling her own surge of anger, she got to her feet. “I didn’t know what to think. It’s not like you talk to me about any of it.”
He grabbed hold of her wrist, and pulled her back down. “Don’t play with me. I know what I saw and what the hell is this all about?” he showed her his phone and let her read the text message from Desmond.
“I’ve never seen it before,” she raised her eyes to meet his.
“I know. He sent it to his wife, but clearly it was meant for you.”
“There’s a nice 24 hour coffee shop in that building, and we went there after shift one night to talk. All we did was talk.”
“Talk about what?” he frowned.
“His wife and kids, you, the job, the things regular adults talk about. I enjoyed the company, and clearly he did too, but we never crossed any lines.”
“Like you did tonight?” His tone was mocking, and she resented it.
“Like you did tonight!” she shot back. “You came to my job, and you hit me in front of all of those people. You humiliated me, Trent, and it was for nothing. I’m not having an affair!”
“I’m sorry that I hit you,” he exhaled a long breath.
“I haven’t betrayed our vows, and I wasn’t going to,” she swore the lie.
“You saying you haven’t betrayed our vows because he never proposed anything sexual before tonight?”
Some things about him had not changed. He still made her feel like she was being interrogated whenever they had a serious discussion.
“I’m not one of your suspects, Trent, so please don’t treat me like one.”
“The shit you telling me is suspect, so I’d like for you to answer the muthafuckin’ question.”
“I never betrayed our vows because I love and respect you. I’m telling you that Desmond never proposed anything sexual to me, but even if he had, I would have said no, like I was going to do tonight if he had asked. I lost myself for a second when he kissed me because I was missing you. I understand why you were upset by what you saw, but knocking me down was wrong. You should have kept it between me and you. You should have trusted me like you want me to trust that you’re being faithful to me when you spend week after week away from home. I’m telling you I didn’t deserve that walk of shame tonight.”
Images of making love to Xena, and all the things he did with her to protect his cover, flashed in his mind, and guilt outweighed his anger.
“I apologize again for hitting you,” he pulled her into a tight embrace. “I was feeling guilty about neglecting you, and when I saw him kissing you, I was so jealous. I lost it.”
Kenyah leaned against him, and he nuzzled his face between her breasts, and inhaled her scent. “I love you so much,” he confessed.
She sandwiched his face in her hands, and then tilted it back so she could look at him. “When did you grow the goatee?” she smiled cheerfully.
“I’ve had it for a while now,” he smiled back.
“It makes you look like that pimp, Pretty Tony, in that 70’s movie, the Mack,” she laughed.
“I’d planned to shave before you got home, but then I got the call from the man’s wife, and I dropped everything.”
She traced the smooth black hairs under his lip with her fingertips. “I like it. Don’t shave it off.” She rubbed her thumb over his lips, and he caught it between his teeth, and sucked it into his mouth.
“If you like it, then I won’t shave it off,” he squeezed her bottom gently.
“You’ve been pumping iron,” she rubbed her hands down over his shoulders caressingly. “I like that too. I like all of it,” she kissed him on a sigh.
Trent lifted her up, and rolled her onto the bed. He made love to her, and she responded like she’d missed him as much as she claimed.
Later when they lay in bed next to each other, he pushed her hair back off her face, and just looked at her. She was really all that mattered, not the job. “Even though you haven’t complained, I know my job has been… is a problem, but that’s about to change.”
“How?” she searched his face lovingly.
He told her about the transfer to homicide, and how it would change his schedule. “No more weeks away from home, so we can start a family, that is if you still want kids with me.”
“We can start a family, really?” she pushed him onto his back, and then climbed on top of him.
“We can start working on it right now if you want?”
“I do want it, Trent. I want to have a family with you more than anything. I am so happy that you’re home safe.”
Trent pulled her down and hugged her to his chest. He put his jealousy and suspicions to rest, and made love to her again in the bed he’d been absent from for months.
They still loved each other, and in his mind, nothing between them had changed.
Chapter 5
Vectra closed her eyes, and tried to block out the degrading scene replaying in her mind from last night. What Desmond had done to her was despicable, and she had spent over an hour in the guest bathroom shampooing her hair, and trying to scrub the memories away.
He’d stayed out all night, and he had turned off his cell, so she couldn’t reach him on it. She heard him come in early this morning. He fixed the boys breakfast. She heard them laughing and talking, but no one came to get her like they usually did.
She got up and dressed, and when she heard the boys go outside, she thought about going upstairs to talk to Desmond, but she was actually a little afraid. She had hit him before, but it was the first time in ten years of marriage that he had reacted violently.
She wanted to understand what triggered that type of uncharacteristic behavior. Why the fuck was he so angry? He was the one who was caught, not her.
She hadn’t been able to sleep much thinking about it. She wanted answers, but she couldn’t shake the feeling of dread she was having about facing him.
She married Desmond right out of college, and he had always worshiped her. At times, it was embarrassing the way he showered her with affection, but over the years, she had grown accustomed to the pampering.
She knew he was upset about her refusal to take part in that stupid family vacation he was so excited about, but he was always upset for a few days after they had an argument. She hadn’t given it much thought until she got that misdirected text to Kenyah.
She’d heard Kenyah Real’s name before. Almost every man in the company had her on his wish list. They all thought she was so hot just because she had a big ass.
She’d heard a few of them had even asked her out, but she claimed to have a husband. At first she thought Desmond had sent the text to her on purpose in an attempt to make her jealous. She had been denying him sex, and since begging wasn’t working, he was trying something different. She didn’t think he was trying to hook up with the girl for real.
She decided to teach him a lesson and show Kenyah’s husband the text. When you’ve worked for a company as long as she had, you got to know all the people with key jobs.
She could have gotten Trent Real’s cell phone number even if Kenyah hadn’t listed him as her emergency contact person.
When she called him, she never expected he would go up to the job and investigate like she’d suggested. She thought he woul
d talk to Kenyah about it, and she would confront Desmond with the lie and embarrass him.
She was too shocked when she got the call from Janice telling her that Kenyah’s husband had come up to the job and caught them together.
Janice had given her all the details. He had confronted them in front of everybody, and now they all knew Desmond had been cheating on her. Janice had told her that all the men were talking about Desmond like he was a god. Like fucking that hoe was something special.
She was too pissed. She expected his weak ass to try to hide in the guestroom, and it’s why she was waiting for him down there.
Thinking about it pissed her off all over again, and she was getting ready to go and find him when he opened the door and walked in the room.
“The boys are gone to the park to play. Now would be a good time to talk if you want to talk about it.”
“What you mean if I want to talk about it? Nigga, you owe me an apology. You’ve been fucking around at the job right under my nose. What I want to know is why did you do it?”
Desmond placed his hands on his hips and stared at her. “First, let me start by saying, I don’t owe you shit, and I am sick to death of your selfish bullshit.”
“So it’s just about sex? You mad because we ain’t been doing it lately—”
“Lately, we haven’t done it in months.”
“It’s just like your weak ass to decide to find some hoe to fuck instead of coming to me about it!”
“You the only hoe that I know and I didn’t come to you about it because I already had all the answers from you that I needed.” He closed the door, and then locked it. “I followed you to the Motel 6 a few weeks back. I know it’s not the first time you’ve cheated on me, but it’s the first time I caught you in the act. Now, knowing what I know, I’m sure you can understand why I think you got a lot of nerve talking about me fucking around on the job when you’ve been fucking Regina Moore for months.”
She couldn’t believe her ears, and she couldn’t believe he’d known about her and Reggie for weeks and not said anything to her about it.
