Open Door Marriage

by Kai, Naleighna

  “You can’t afford the wife you already have, stud,” Dallas said to Quan.

  “Well, there’s some truth in that,” Carrie chimed in, glowering at her husband as she continued her journey toward the den.

  Dallas was right after her. “I’ll go get Pops.”

  “Naw, stay here. Make yourself comfortable or somethin’,” Quan said. “I’ll go get him. Need to see if the Bears are still getting their asses kicked on the field. I’ve got money on this game!”

  Dallas slipped down in a seat, glowering at Quan’s retreating back. Hell, where did he get off saying “make yourself comfortable” to the person who paid for the house and everything in it? That was a lot of damn nerve.

  Carrie walked back in the dining room, saw that she and her brother were alone, and did a back step that would make any street dancer proud.

  Dallas jumped out of his chair and gripped her arm. “So, you’re going to keep acting this way all evening?”

  “How could you do it?” she growled, snatching away as though his touch was leprous. “It’s wrong!”

  “When does what’s going on in my private life have anything to do with you?”

  There was ice in her eyes as she stared at him.

  “I take care of everyone,” he said, “and that includes Tori and Alicia, Mom and Pop, plus you and that shiftless ass husband.” He clenched his jaw as he worked to regain his composure. “No one’s complaining, including Tori and Alicia.” Well, that wasn’t exactly the whole truth, but Carrie didn’t need to know that sad fact.

  “Now my husband wants to try that nonsense you’re doing, talking about some Divine Law that says men should have more than one wife.” Carrie flat out punched him in the center of his chest.

  Dallas looked her square in the eye. “Your husband’s on some religious trip, but the Ausar Auset Society was never about doing things the way Quan’s doing it—using women to make sure that he doesn’t have to work an honest job. It’s supposed to be a collective relationship—not a harem to take care of lazy bums,” he snapped.

  When she drew back to hit him again, Dallas grabbed her wrist and kept his focus on her dark brown eyes. “You need to admit it; your husband was an asshole from jump. Correction—he wasn’t an asshole, he was a whole ass.” He held up a hand to stave off her protest. “Now he’s only using this religion thing to justify something that he’s wanted to do all along—to have some extra in-house nookie. But that’s definitely not what I’m doing.”

  “How is your situation different?” Carrie snarled, waggling a finger in his direction. “What makes you so special?”

  “Because both of the women chose me,” he answered smoothly. “This idea came from Tori, and Alicia agreed. I’m not hiding behind a belief system. But the real issue here is that I take damn good care of both of my women.” Dallas raised an eyebrow. “Can your husband say the same?”

  Anna and John froze at the doorway, their heads snapping to Quan, who stood directly behind them. Apparently they’d all heard the tail end of the conversation. John looked over his shoulder and gave Quan a forbidding look that the younger man chose to ignore.

  “I can barely stand to look at you.” Carrie hit Dallas again, harder this time. “I’m so pissed at you it’s not even funny.”

  Dallas clasped a hand over her fist and leaned in to whisper. “Good! Stay mad for a real long time. Maybe now you and freckles won’t tune your lips to ask me for anything else.” Dallas pulled back and winked at her. “Take care, little sister.”

  He looked to his mother, who placed the bowl of potato salad on the table. “Mama, do you think I can get four plates to go?”

  “You’re not staying?” she asked, her panic-stricken expression tugging at his heart.

  Dallas swept a gaze over his ticked-off sister, angry father, and the resident asshole. “I don’t think it’s a good idea right about now.”

  “Stay for me,” she whispered, maneuvering around the table to stand in front of him. “I don’t get to see you nearly enough.”

  “I know, Mama,” he replied, embracing her. “Next time it’ll be lunch, just me, you and some … banana pudding?”

  She held onto him a moment longer before saying, “I’ll get those plates.”

  “And I need to have a conversation with the whole peach cobbler,” he suggested, giving her a smile that caused the corners of her lips to lift. “I’ll do all the talking.”

  Quan spurred into action and blocked Dallas’ path to the kitchen. “You’re leaving? For real?”

  “Most definitely,” he replied, sidestepping him.

  “But, you know,” Quan flickered a gaze at Carrie before whispering to Dallas, “I need to holla at you for a minute, my man.”

  Dallas gave him a grin. “Ask your wife. She already has my answer.”

  Quan scowled in Carrie’s direction, and she flipped Dallas the bird.

  “Don’t get mad at me,” Dallas said, leaning in so only Quan and Carrie could hear. “I can’t help that your husband has the toilet touch. Every scheme, every con always turns to shit.” Then he said to Carrie, “But the best con he’s got going is you, my sister.”

  “Pastor called,” John said from his seat at the head of the table. “Wants to speak with you in his office sometime next week, son.”

  More like Pops had put a call into Pastor Braxton and asked him to have a heart-to-heart talk with Dallas. Well, that would be a very interesting conversation indeed.

  Dallas was glad he’d followed his first mind and not brought Alicia along. It was safe for her to be home, since Tori had flown to Chicago to be with her parents, hoping that she’d be able to help them mend their relationship.

  Dallas did a quick step into the kitchen and focused on making off with the goods and bringing in Christmas with Alicia.

  Chapter 27

  Alicia paced the length of her bedroom, fuming after a call from Tori. The girl had sunk to a whole new level of low. And Alicia should have seen it coming.

  For the last few days, she’d thought that the three of them had hit a mellow stride that was almost symbiotic. Alicia took care of everything related to the house—preparing and cooking meals, maintaining the budget, their schedules, making sure everything was organized and trying like hell to keep Tori within Dallas’ wedding budget. While all Tori had to do was focus on her studies. Dallas kept his concentration on his career—and the few hours a week he spent on managing his money. He started bringing her in on that, teaching her what he knew about the stock game. She was a fast learner. Soon she was giving him advice on things.

  She also learned that preparing for a game took sometimes seven hours a day—practicing, lifting weights, doing sprints, watching team tapes, all to be ready for a mere forty-eight minutes of play. Alicia focused on nutrition and foods that would help boost his energy and performance, without filling him up with empty calories as he had been doing all along. He still had a healthy appetite, but he wasn’t eating as much and as often.

  Things had smoothed out to the point that even Alicia had thought an open marriage could actually work. Well, Tori had just poured salt and vinegar in the tank.

  Alicia plopped down on the sofa, trying to put her focus on the Bears Game. She didn’t fume as long as she thought she would because fifteen minutes later that familiar “click” of the door made her whirl around toward the entrance.

  “Why didn’t you tell me, Dallas?”

  He froze, frowning at her thunderous expression. “Tell you what?

  “James. Bernice. They’re together again. In my house. She pulled him out of a gambler’s addiction treatment center to put him in marriage counseling.”

  Dallas sighed, and the sound sucked more of the good vibrations out of the room. “I didn’t tell you, because I didn’t want to ruin our holiday.

  She stopped pacing long enough to glower at him. “The woman accused him of incest—not once, not twice—but every time she wants to piss him off. Then waltzes back into his life as
if no damage was done. Unthinkable!”

  “Let’s not worry about what’s going on with them,” he said, lifting the plates in one hand and the pie in the other. “I brought dinner.”

  She frowned and turned her back to him. “I’m not hungry.”

  Dallas slid everything onto the dining room table and hurried over to her, curling her into his arms. “Baby, don’t let them destroy our evening. It’s Christmas.”

  “You should’ve told me instead of letting Tori do it,” she said. “Trust me, she has an ulterior motive.”

  Dallas threw up his hands and walked away. “Come on, baby. Stop it with the conspiracy theories,” he warned. “She just wants her parents to get back together. That’s natural.”

  “I was the one who encouraged James to go to rehab and I paid good money for that,” she said. “And anytime Tori spends time with her mother, it’s not because she’s been lovey dovey. She’s trying to come up with a better game plan to get what she wants. Trust me.”

  Dallas didn’t look at her for several spells. A roar went up on the television as the Bears pulled an upset at the last minute.

  “It’s about time,” they said at the same time. Then they looked at each other and smiled.

  Alicia picked up the remote, switched off the set, crossed the distance between them and led him to the sofa. “Let me tell you who you’re dealing with.” When they were seated next to each other, she took his hands in hers. “Tori was a little on the plump side when she was in grammar school, and these girls wouldn’t let her on the cheerleading team. She worked out, changed her diet, lost the weight and got a member of the squad to help her learn the routines.”

  “Nothing so sinister about that,” Dallas said with a shrug. “That’s determination.”

  Alicia pressed her hand to his chest. “No, listen. She used all of her allowance to hire a well-known professional cheerleader and made sure that the team saw the woman working with her. When they approached the lady, she said she wouldn’t help them unless Tori was on the team.”

  Dallas shook his head. “That’s being resourceful. Hell, I would’ve done something like that.”

  Alicia nodded and gave him a smile that unsettled him. “Tori made sure the woman studied the captains to find their physical weaknesses, then added parts to the routine that they couldn’t perform. The rest of the girls put Tori on as co-captain. One by one, Tori picked off everyone at the top and had them kicked off the team, because now they were the ones who couldn’t keep up.”

  She squeezed the bridge of her nose then looked deeply into Dallas’ eyes. “It took a year for her to have her revenge, but she got it in spades. Tori became the only captain, and the other girls never made it on the cheerleading team again. And that’s just one instance. That girl can be cold, calculating.”

  Alicia wrapped her arms about his neck. “Having me here had nothing to do with what the press might do. She was tallying up my strengths and weaknesses, so she could disqualify me when the time came. Smart move on her part, and I played right into her hands.”

  Dallas looked down at her, as his shoulders slumped.

  “At some point, Dallas,” she said, stroking a hand over his chest. “You’re going to have to stop straddling the fence and actually pick a lawn. Any lawn. Whether it’s green or has a few weeds in it.”

  He was silent for a long while.

  “Dallas, you asked me what I wanted for Christmas,” she said softly, her gaze focusing on him. “All I want is you. Just you.” Alicia lowered her arms about his waist and laid her head against his chest. “You’re seeing my refusal to marry you as some sort of slight. You shouldn’t.” She looked up at him. “I want to be with a man who’s in my life because he wants to be, not because has to be.”

  Dallas took a breath, but she held up her hand to stop him.

  “But this thing with Tori, and us ... it’s not going to work. I understand all the reasons why you want it to work, but there’s one thing you need to know. You don’t have to have everything to be happy.” She let the statement swirl around for a moment. “I don’t have a family—not really. I stayed in a loveless marriage out of misguided loyalty and fear.” She cupped his face in her hands, gently stroking a thumb across his cheek. “But right now, I’m the happiest I’ve ever been in my life; not because I’ve traveled to every place that I’ve ever wanted to, well except India,” she added dryly, then smiled. “It’s because I have you. A man who loves me, with all of my flaws, with all of my imperfections.” She closed her eyes for a moment and when she opened them she said, “Loving you, has only taught me that I should love myself more. And that’s been the hard part all these years—loving me. And, it’s because I’ve learned to love myself that I know I can’t do this anymore.”

  He pulled her against him. “I hear you, baby. I hear you.” When they separated he said, “Can we make a deal?”

  She gave him a long side-eye glance. “What?”

  “Can you just give me ‘til May?”

  “May? I can’t wait that long.”

  “I know it’s a long time, baby, but here’s the thing. I really think Tori will get over this by then, and if she doesn’t then, I’ll break it off. But by then, she’ll be through her last semester, and she’ll really be able to start a new life.”

  Alicia shook her head. “I can’t live here with her ...”

  “And you won’t have to. I’m still working on that house.”

  The way he grinned made Alicia suspicious. “Have you found something?”

  He shook his head. “But let’s just say that I know you’ll be smiling soon. So, is it a deal? Till May?”

  “And I won’t have to live here?”

  “Not that much longer.” He shook his head.

  Alicia nodded. “All right. But right after ...”

  Dallas released a visible sigh of relief.

  “Four plates,” she said, wanting to change the subject. She smiled at the four plates stacked one on top of the other. “Two for me and two for you.”

  “No, no, no.” He pulled himself away from her. “You’ve got it all wrong, baby. Three for me, and one for you.”

  She put her hands on her hips. “What?”

  “You don’t even eat that much!” he protested.

  Alicia went to the table and lifted the foil and inhaled the sweet scent of peach cobbler. “Well, at least you brought enough dessert.”

  “I have to share?” he said in a playful whine.

  Alicia gave him a startled look that made him laugh.

  Chapter 28

  Monday, December 31—8:09 a.m.

  Fort Worth, Texas

  Dallas pulled into the freshly paved lot of a set of red brick structures that stretched about a half mile down Christ Lane.

  He crossed the grounds and went in through the side doors, passing the donors’ wall and glass-encased trophies along the way.

  A platinum blonde, breast-baring secretary sat behind the huge desk that served as a gateway to the pastor’s domain. If she thought wearing that type of body-hugging dress was going to land her an even better position—like First Lady, for example—then she was in for a rude awakening. Reverend Braxton had been with his high school sweetheart for over forty years. The likelihood of him slipping off with a woman barely out of diapers was about the same as someone winning the lottery without purchasing a ticket.

  “Hello, Helen,” Dallas said.

  She looked up from the set of manila folders in her hand and smiled. “Oh, it’s you,” she said softly, blinking her eyes in a fashion she probably believed made her appear innocent. But he knew better. This woman had been on the manhunt trail with both guns blazing.

  “You can go right in,” Helen said, gesturing to the oak door behind her. “Reverend Braxton’s expecting you.”

  Dallas tossed the water bottle in the trash and could feel her eyes on him as he walked past. When he turned and saw her checking out his rear end, her eyes widened. She dropped the folders, jerked
her attention to the computer and stabbed at the keys.

  “You wanted to see me?” Dallas asked, poking his head inside the door. He scanned the area to see if they were alone, and then fixed his gaze on an ebony man with kind eyes, a broad nose and a mouth framed by laugh lines created by age and a wonderful sense of humor. Reverend Braxton had lost a few pounds and was sporting a new haircut, trimmed up mustache and goatee, along with a savvy two-piece suit. Very GQ. Someone had stepped up their game.

  “Thank you for coming, Dallas.” Reverend Braxton gestured to one of the leather wing-backed chairs that flanked his desk. “Have a seat.”

  Dallas settled in and took a good look around. The office was decked out with a cedar wood desk, the scent of which permeated the entire office, plush maroon carpet, and cherry wood walls and shelving, which was home to a vast spiritual library. It was a drastic departure from that cracker box of an office at the previous place.

  Reverend Braxton pointed the remote and switched off the flat screen television. “So, how’re things?”

  “Pretty good. How about you and Sister Braxton?”

  “Fine,” he answered softly.

  The reverend’s grimace made Dallas hone in on the man. Never was there a time when the mention of his wife failed to bring on a smile to his face.

  “And your mother?” Reverend Braxton continued.