Summer of '16: Dinero's Dilemma

by Charae Lewis

  “Aight, bet.”

  Dinero walked out of Rochelle’s house feeling a little better than before. He knew his mother would come through for him. He smiled on the inside at the possibility of seeing Asia. Dinero knew a plan was needed to persuade her not to divorce him, but he didn’t know what move to make.

  ****

  Asia sat in bed with a glass of wine in her hand listening to Tamar Braxton’s “Broken Record”. Nero was sitting at the foot of the bed staring at her. She had finally unpacked all of her belongings and was treating herself to a nightcap. At first, it had felt weird being in her parents’ home, but she quickly got over it. Asia could still smell her mother’s scent in each room, and she welcomed it. With each day that passed, Asia was really pressing to get her life in order. During the day, she would be fine since she was either helping Aimee with the baby or working. It was at night that the current state of her life hit her like a ton of bricks. Dinero still invaded her thoughts and even her dreams. Last night, she’d had a dream that they were getting married at a church, her mother on the front row of the pew along with her father. But when she looked on the other side of the church, she spotted Dillon. Asia had woken up in a cold sweat with an accelerated heartbeat.

  She didn’t know what the dream meant. Asia had told Aimee about it, and she thought that maybe it was a sign for her and Dinero to work it out. Asia thought about calling off the divorce often, but she couldn’t get over his infidelity. In her eyes, that was what had sealed the fate of their marriage.

  Asia grabbed her iPad and went through her emails. Lately, she had been requested for several bookings for photography. She stopped in her tracks when she saw that she had an email from Sheek.

  “What does his bitch ass want?” Asia mumbled as she opened the message.

  Asia,

  I know you're probably mad at me, and if I was you, I would be too. I'm sorry for the way that I acted at Fabian’s party. That shit was out of my character, and I'm ashamed of my actions. My intentions were never to try and break up you and your husband. I guess I let the liquor get the best of me. I'm not expecting you to respond to me. I just wanted to say that I truly apologize for my actions. Forgive me.

  Sheek.

  “Bitch, fuck you,” Asia shot and erased the message.

  She wasn’t moved by Sheek’s too little, too late apology. He was the cause of her marital demise and Asia declared that she would never forgive him. Just as she was finishing up her wine, her phone rang. She hurried to answer since it was Rochelle calling.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, sweetie. How are you doing?”

  “I'm good. Just sitting here cooling.”

  “Oh okay. Well, I saw that boy of mine today. We talked, and he really wants to see you.”

  Asia released a sigh. “I heard. Honestly, if I see Dinero, I might stab him.”

  Rochelle chuckled. “I know the feeling. I've been there many times, but I think you should let him know how you feel. And also how he hurt you. At least let him know your reasons for wanting a divorce.”

  Asia groaned, not feeling Rochelle’s idea. She was still livid, and she didn’t know how she would act in his presence.

  “Just do it for me, please,” Rochelle begged.

  “Okay. I’ll do it just for you, but if he ends up with stab wounds, don’t be mad at me,” Asia kidded.

  “Girl, I'm not. Just send me a location where you want to meet and I’ll send it to him.”

  “Okay,” Asia said and disconnected the call.

  Asia really didn’t want to see Dinero but because Rochelle was asking, she agreed to it. Rochelle had helped her so much through the past few weeks that she wouldn’t dare say no to her. Since she was feeling the effects of the wine, Asia turned off the lamp and prepared to go to sleep.

  Chapter Eighteen

  “I can’t believe you're doing this,” Keece said then laughed.

  Dinero sat in Keece’s chair getting a tattoo of Asia’s name on his hand. He was trying to do anything to secure Asia’s position in his life, and a tattoo was the first thing he thought of.

  “Don’t you have your wife’s name tatted on you?” Dinero retorted.

  “Yeah I do, but she ain't filed for divorce, nigga.”

  “Man, we ain't getting no divorce. I’ll sabotage the shit out of the whole process,” Dinero spat, meaning every word.

  “So what you gon’ do when you see her? You gotta give her something to make her call it off.”

  Dinero shrugged. “I don’t know what I'm going to say to her to make her stay with me. I know I need to apologize first. I can’t believe I fucked up this bad,” he huffed.

  “You’re always fucking up. Hardheaded ass boy.”

  “Kiss my ass.”

  “Mama came through for your desperate ass. Why don't you be listening to me? I told you to leave that bitch alone,” Keece fussed, referring to Cadence.

  “I know I should’ve listened. That hoe is the one who called Asia to come to the hotel. I was about to kill her snake ass.”

  “So it was her? Have you heard from Cadence?”

  “Hell nah,” Dinero scoffed. “I told that bitch to get out of Milwaukee, or I was gon’ body her and her mama.”

  Keece laughed hysterically. “Damn, she can’t even stay in the Mil?”

  “Nah, she can get her fat head ass outta here. Bitch.”

  “Man, I hope this shit works. You fucked up pretty bad, but we all did within our relationships. So hopefully she takes your silly ass back.”

  “Fuck you, even though I hope you're right.”

  “Aight, keep talkin’ shit. This Asia tat will turn into Aaron real quick,” Keece warned.

  Dinero laughed. “I’ll beat your ass.”

  Dinero sat with Keece for a couple more hours before it was time to meet up with Asia. Rochelle had really done him a huge favor, and he made a mental note to buy her something nice for not only setting up the meeting but for being there for Asia when he was absent. Dinero very grateful for her because Asia didn’t have her mother anymore. He was happy that his mother could extend a helping hand.

  ****

  Asia had just washed her hair when she heard her doorbell ring. Instantly, she was on the edge because the only person who knew where she was hiding was Aimee. She slowly crept to the front door and looked out of the peephole. Asia was surprised to see Kylie standing there. She hurried and unlocked the door.

  “Hey, what are you doing here?” Asia asked as she opened the screen door.

  “Don’t be mad, but Aimee gave me the address. I really wanted to check on you to make sure were okay.”

  Asia was touched that Kylie had actually come to see if she was doing okay. They’d only known each other for such a short amount of time, and she considered Kylie a good friend.

  “I'm not mad, but don’t tell Fabian where I'm at. I know he’s team Dinero,” Asia joked.

  “I promise my lips are sealed.”

  “Come in.”

  Asia led Kylie to the living room where they sat on opposite sofas. She offered Kylie something to drink where she declined.

  “So, how are things? I see that you’ve moved out,” Kylie said.

  Asia nodded. “Yeah, it was time for me to move around. I've been here for a little while.”

  “I feel so bad for you. That was fucked up that you had to watch your husband walk out of a hotel with another woman. Have you talked to Dinero at all?”

  “Hell no!” Asia spat. “I don’t want to hear shit from him. You know what, he did call me from one of his worker’s phone, but I hung up on him.”

  “So are you done with him?”

  Asia somberly nodded. She hated that things had come to the point where she would be ending their union. She didn’t have the energy to even entertain the idea of forgiving Dinero for his indiscretion.

  “I know how you feel, boo. I remember when Fabian cheated on me before we were married. I was sick and then to top it off, I was also pregn
ant,” Kylie revealed to her.

  “I never said anything, but I was pregnant, and I miscarried. Again, Dinero was absent for that, and I had to go through that entire ordeal without him. Thank God, I had my sister and his mother. I don’t know what I would've done.”

  Tears began to form on the brim of her eyes as Asia thought about her miscarriage. Most days, she tried not to dwell on it, but whenever she talked about it, a familiar ache would reside in her heart.

  Kylie got up from the couch and went to sit next to Asia. She began to rub gently on Asia’s back. “Don’t be sad, Asia. You’ll have another child.”

  “I know, but it still hurts,” she sniffled. “I’m so pissed at Dinero. I hate the way that he treated me. I should’ve never married his ass.”

  “Do you really mean that?”

  “I do. I don’t know what the hell we were thinking about when we got married. We were only supposed to be fucking around with each other. Marriage should’ve been the last thing on our minds,” Asia ranted.

  “It happened for a reason, though. You guys love each other despite everything that has happened.”

  “Yeah, but love ain't enough to keep me. He’s too fucking immature to ever be the man I need and I hate that I just realized that shit now.”

  “Well, I'm here for you. Fabian told me to tell you that he would love to hire you back full time. Sheek is fired, so you won’t have to deal with him, and besides, you take some bomb ass photos,” Kylie laughed.

  Asia giggled and wiped her eyes. “Thank you. I appreciate that. I also appreciate you for coming to check on me.”

  “No problem. Ever since that night at the hotel, I've been worried about you. Just know that you're going to get through this. We all go through rough times. It’s just your time right now, unfortunately.”

  “Yeah, it’s definitely rough. And then I have to meet with Dinero tomorrow. I feel like it’s time for us to lay everything on the table.”

  “Girl,” Kylie stressed. “I hope y’all don’t get to fighting again. You two were going at it like Mayweather and Pacquiao last time.”

  Asia burst into a fit of laughter. “I was trying to knock that bitch’s head off.”

  “Shit, you damn near did,” Kylie laughed.

  Kylie and Asia talked for hours until night time came. Asia promised to call and let her know how her meeting went with Dinero. She’d truly enjoyed Kylie’s company and was glad that she’d come to visit her.

  ****

  Asia pulled up into to the parking lot and sat in silence. The summer night air was nice and humid as the beautiful sunset cascaded over the sky. Summer was her favorite season, but this particular one would be somber. Asia would always remember that the summer of ’16 would be the season where she ended her marriage.

  She had agreed to meet Dinero at his car wash since she knew that it would be closed. Asia threw her car in park and took a deep breath. She hadn't seen Dinero in weeks, and she couldn’t deny that she was anxious. Not knowing what to expect had her on the edge all day. Aimee had called earlier to send her positive vibes, but Asia was still nervous.

  She slowly got out of the car and walked to the door. She loudly knocked and then waited. Minutes later, Dinero walked to the front looking handsome dressed in all black. Asia could feel her heart rate accelerate as she subconsciously bit her lip. She hated the fact that she was still attracted to him.

  Before he opened the door, Asia got herself together and placed an uninterested look on her face.

  “What's up?” Dinero greeted her as he held the door.

  Asia said nothing as she walked past him and headed for his office. Dinero smirked and shook his head as he followed her. She sat in the seat in front of his desk while Dinero sat on top of his desk. Neither one shared a word with each other as they looked into one another’s eyes. Asia didn’t like the look that Dinero was giving her, so she was the first to break their staring match.

  “Baby, I'm sorry,” he said. “I feel fucked up about the way that I hurt you, and I apologize. I should’ve listened to you instead of run away. You know I would never not show up for you when you had your miscarriage. I should’ve been there for you. Can you forgive me?”

  “Forgive you?” She spoke with disdain. “Forgive you for which part? How about you shutting down on me and not communicating? Or how about you not being there when I lost our baby? No, wait, how about you running back to your ex-bitch?! Which one should I start with first?!” she shouted.

  “Chill out,” Dinero said calmly.

  “No, fuck that!” she yelled and hopped out of her seat. “Ain't no fucking chillin’ when you broke my heart!”

  Dinero took a deep breath in an attempt to keep his composure. “Why you getting all hyped up? We’re supposed to have a civilized conversation.”

  “I'm in my feelings, and it’s all because of you. I didn’t come here to be civilized. I came here so you can see and feel the pain that you caused.”

  Asia wiped the tears that fell from her eyes. She was consumed with so much anger as she looked Dinero in his face. She didn’t think that he would ever understand how bad he’d broken her. Their situation couldn’t be fixed with an I’m sorry, and he needed to know that.

  “So did you fuck her?”

  Dinero sucked his teeth. “Come on, Asia. I don’t wanna talk about that bitch.”

  “No, I wanna know did you fuck her?”

  “Why you asking questions when you know you can’t handle the answer?” he mumbled with his hand rested on his forehead.

  “Answer the question!”

  “Yeah, I fucked her.”

  “How many times?” Asia quizzed with her arms crossed.

  “A lot of times, Asia.”

  Asia’s chest began to heave up and down before she rushed over to Dinero. He grabbed her arms just in time for her to swing off on him.

  “Aye, calm the fuck down!” Dinero ordered as he walked her over to the sofa.

  Asia fussed and fought until he pinned her down on her back.

  “Fuck you, Dinero. I hate you!” Asia sobbed.

  “You don’t mean that. Stop saying that shit,” he spoke as he climbed on top of her.

  Dinero kissed her tears away as Asia continued to cry. He was right; she wasn’t ready for his answer to her questions. She knew that Dinero had fucked Cadence, but for some reason, it pained her to hear him admit it.

  “Stop crying, Asia. I hate seeing you like this.”

  Asia slowly shook her head. “I can’t. You just keep hurting me.”

  Dinero found her lips and kissed them gently. At first, she resisted but found it hard to when he stuck his tongue in her mouth. She was still sniffling as he attacked her mouth with his. She hadn't been intimate with Dinero in weeks, and she couldn’t help but get moist from his touch.

  “I'm sorry, baby,” Dinero whispered between kisses.

  Asia was locked in a trance as his lips traveled to her neck. The licks and bites had her body hot with desire. Dinero pulled down her sundress and then trailed kisses down to her breasts. Her nipples tasted like Hershey’s Kisses as he sucked lightly. Asia arched her back as Dinero consumed each breast. She couldn’t help but reach into his sweats and stroke his manhood. Pre-cum oozed from his penis as she stroked it to life.

  Dinero gently moved Asia’s hand out of his pants and took off her panties. He spread her legs wide and dove straight into her moist kitty. Dinero knew sex wasn’t the answer to their many problems, but he desperately needed to feel her walls. His mouth latched on to her clit like a newborn to its mother’s nipple.

  “Shit, Dinero,” Asia whimpered, feeling like she was being put under a spell.

  Dinero was sucking the soul out of her as he inserted two of his fingers into her dripping tunnel. Asia began to fuck his fingers to speed up her oncoming orgasm. When her walls contracted around his fingers, Dinero knew he had her right where he wanted her. He picked up the pace with his fingers and began to suck harder on her clitoris. Within
seconds, Asia’s essence was covered all over his hand.

  Dinero licked every drop and then pulled down his sweats. He plunged his dick into Asia’s soaking center causing her to yell out in sheer bliss. He found his groove as he slowly stroked in and out her of her pussy.

  “Asia, I can’t be without you,” he uttered while looking deep into her eyes.

  Asia couldn’t even speak because Dinero was putting a hurting on her pussy. The deep passionate strokes left her speechless and in a daze.

  “Just forgive me. I promise I’ll make shit right.”

  Her body was hot and filled with so much ecstasy. Other than him, this was what Asia had missed the most. No man had ever been able to do her body the way that Dinero did. He was fantastic in bed and for a moment, Asia didn’t know if she would be able to part ways on just that fact alone.

  “You hear me, baby? I need you. Don’t leave me,” he whispered as he picked up his pace.

  Asia was clawing at his arms because the feeling was too much to bear. Her legs were shaking like she had been in the bitter cold for hours. The pulsating sensation of Dinero’s dick and Asia’s walls had the couple on the highest level of delirium.

  “Let me make it right,” Dinero said and kissed her. “I promise I’ll make you happy again.”

  Dinero continued to drill into her until he saw that familiar face that alerted him that Asia was about to cum. He couldn’t hold his nut any longer and decided to climax at the same time as she did.

  Asia was out of breath and relaxed at the same time. Just as she was coming down from her sexually induced haze, she realized that she’d made a mistake by sleeping with Dinero. Sex was the last thing that needed to be thrown into their fucked up mix.

  “Dinero?”

  He lifted his head and looked at her.

  “I still want a divorce,” she voiced.

  Dinero literally felt his heart break into tiny pieces. Those words cut deep into him like a sharp sword. He needed Asia just like he needed air to breathe. What would Dinero do when he wouldn’t be able to wake up with Asia or go to sleep lying next to her? He was actually on the verge of tears.