“She had an abortion. Got rid of the baby the second she thought Cedric was dead. That was why I told you to mention that to her. While I’m sad that she went that route, I figured that it would make things easier for you and Cedric. I really can’t say if the two of y’all should work things out or not. That’s a tough call, because you know how I feel about him. I’d be wrong to weigh in, but if I must say, I do believe that people can change.”
Kayla’s eyes looked as if they were about to break from the sockets. “She had an abortion? For real?”
“Yes. She told me that she couldn’t afford to raise a child without his support.”
Kayla shook her head. “What else did I expect from a woman like Evelyn? If she thought Cedric wasn’t going to give her a hard time with that child, she was sadly mistaken. He wasn’t even sure if the baby was his. If I didn’t see the pregnancy test for myself, I wouldn’t have believed her. I don’t believe in abortions for any reason at all, but I can’t say that I’m not happy about her no longer being pregnant with his child.”
“So, does that change things? Does it make your decision to reconcile with him much easier?”
Kayla sighed. “I don’t know. Cedric has hurt me so much. I think it would be almost impossible for us to put all of this behind us and carry on as if none of this ever happened. It would take years of counseling for us to get through this. I don’t know if I have the time or energy and I don’t believe he does either.”
“Nothing is impossible. I mean, look at us. Our friendship has endured a lot too, but here we are, sitting here conversing and enjoying each other’s company. Never say never, Kayla. You just don’t know what the outcome will be.”
Kayla agreed with me. The waitress came with more drinks and food, and that was when I started to tell her about my setback with Keith. I wondered if Kayla wouldn’t weigh in on my issues with him, since I failed to go there with Cedric.
“I don’t want to go there with you, Trina, but what are best friends for, if we can’t be honest with each other and speak our mind? So, here it goes. Keith is a very nice man. I’d hate for you to lose him, and maybe, just maybe, you were confused about the condoms. Did you look at the expiration date? They could have been in there for a while. Maybe he forgot about them.”
“If he had forgotten about them, he should have said so. And then to kick me out like that and not call me, you know that was foul.”
“It was, but some men don’t like to argue. He doesn’t come off as the arguing type, and look at all of the wonderful things about him. Personally, I think you should call him. It was a petty disagreement that should have never gone this far.”
“Evelyn said that I should kick him to the curb. She thinks that he’s been lying to me, and to be honest, I’m not so sure about him and his ex. He had some deep feeling for her. I don’t think he’s quite over her yet.”
“Well, Evelyn said that Cedric has the biggest penis ever and she lied. She said that he was in love with her, and she lied about that too. I wouldn’t take any advice from Evelyn. As for Keith’s ex, what would make you think he’s not over her?”
I bit into a honey-glazed chicken wing and shrugged. “I’m not sure. I just know that he really cared a lot about her.”
“So, in other words, you’re fishing. Trying to find anything that you can to justify why you’re acting this way toward him. All I can say, Trina, is that if you love him, and I know you do, don’t let him get away. In my heart, I seriously feel as if he is the one for you. There is something about him that is intriguing to me. Don’t blow it by listening to Evelyn. Her advice isn’t worth two cents.”
I kept trying to talk myself out of calling Keith or going to see him, but Kayla insisted that I do something fast. I took her advice, and after we ended our long conversation over dinner, she went her way and I went mine. We made plans to get together again, over the weekend.
Since Keith’s house was only fifteen minutes away, I drove to it. I started to call and let him know that I was coming over, but I decided against it. Instead, I made my way to the front door and rang the doorbell. Several lights were on inside, and I heard a bunch of laughter. I then saw Keith step out from the living room with a happy-go-lucky smile on his face. When he saw me, his face fell flat. He opened the door, and that was when I could hear several people talking and music playing.
“I guess I came at a bad time,” I said. “Maybe I should’ve called.”
“It would have been nice, but since you’re here, feel free to come in.”
Since he’d said it like that, I started not to. But just to be nosy, I stepped inside and followed him into the living room. To my surprise, Bryson was there, two other friends of Keith, Jerry and Lance, and Evelyn. She sat close to Bryson with a drink in her hand. It looked as if they were playing cards, and according to Lance, they had a good game going.
“Why don’t you join us?” Lance said to me. “Your man needs all the help he can get.”
“Tell me about it,” Evelyn said, laughing. “And hello, my dear friend. Had I known you were coming over, we could have ridden together.”
Seriously? I couldn’t believe this trick. Now, I had spoken to Evelyn several times this week and earlier today. Not once did she mention that she was coming over here, or that she and Bryson had hooked up. It was apparent that they had; otherwise, she wouldn’t have been damn near sitting on his lap. It also pissed me off that Keith hadn’t said anything to me about her coming over here either. I knew they didn’t expect me to just grab a seat and pretend that everything was cool. I wasn’t sure who was going to catch hell first. Then again, yes, I was.
“Evelyn, can I speak to you for a minute in the kitchen?”
She uncrossed her legs and rubbed her finger along the side of Bryson’s face. “I’ll be right back,” she said. “Don’t let them win, please. If you do, I’m going to cancel those plans we talked about earlier.”
The men laughed and all eyes were on Evelyn as she paraded away in her mini-dress, which barely covered her ass. All eyes except for Keith’s, who looked in another direction—only because I was there. I stormed into the kitchen with Evelyn in tow. As soon as we entered, I swung around and let her have it.
“Just what in the hell do you think you’re doing?” I asked.
As expected, she played clueless. “Wha . . . what do you mean? I’m playing cards. That’s what I’m doing.”
“Playing cards inside of my man’s house without telling me that you were coming over here? How many times have you been here without me knowing it?”
Evelyn rolled her eyes and caught an attitude with me. “Several times, but does it matter? I don’t have to tell you everywhere I go. Like, where do they do that at? Stop being so freaking jealous and calm the hell down.”
“Jealous? Uh, no. And hell yes, it matters, because I don’t appreciate you being here while I’m not. This is real tacky on your part, Evelyn, and it makes no sense for you to keep running over here, even if it is to meet up with Bryson. He has a place and so do you.”
“Yeah, we do, but Keith has the best place of all. You know that for yourself. That’s why you’re always over here. But I guess you’re going to knock his brother for wanting to be over here too. How ridiculous is that?”
“Not ridiculous at all, especially when I smell a motive.”
“Yeah, well, I smell something too, but it’s not coming from me. It’s a bunch of bullshit, coming from you. As a reminder, you were the one who called it quits with Keith. I happen to be trying to make a connection with Bryson, and he is the one who decided to come over here. I’m sorry if my little visit has rubbed you the wrong way, but for the last time, get a grip, please.”
I wanted to punch Evelyn in her mouth, so she’d never be able to speak again. We continued to go at it, and as we got louder, Keith came into the kitchen.
“What’s going on in here?” he asked with a twisted face.
Evelyn threw her hands up in the air. “Honestly, I do
not know. Your ex-girlfriend is acting like she going through menopause. Otherwise, I can’t explain this bizarre behavior of hers.”
“You know damn well what my problem is, so don’t stand there and play innocent. Like I said, I don’t appreciate you being over here, and the fact that you don’t even have any panties on concerns me.”
Evelyn’s mouth grew wide. “Whether I have on panties or not, that shouldn’t concern you at all. You act like you want a piece of my pussy for yourself, but unfortunately, I have it reserved for Bryson. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to get back to the card game. That’s unless Keith prefers that I leave, and he hasn’t said anything of that nature to me yet.”
Evelyn looked at Keith and so did I. But before I gave him a chance to respond, I had to reply to Evelyn’s comment. “Tramp, I wouldn’t dare tamper with a pussy as used up as yours. Bryson can have it. I’m sure it won’t be long before he throws it back into the water and searches for something more refreshing.” I turned to Keith. “With that being said, we need some privacy tonight. Do you mind asking everyone to leave?”
Unfortunately, Keith wasn’t having it. He moved his head from side to side. “If you want privacy, we can go upstairs. I’m not asking my guests to leave, and I would like for you to take your tone down a notch and stop all this cussing.”
A smirk washed across Evelyn’s face. She turned around and marched her prissy ass out of the kitchen. My feelings were bruised, and my anger was now directed toward Keith.
“I am shocked. I seriously thought you cared about me. Obviously not.”
“Trina, stop being so difficult. If you have something on your mind, let’s go upstairs and discuss whatever it is. I’m not going to stand here and discuss my business in front of everyone. Nor am I going to ask my brother and my friends to leave because you decided to show up without calling. For some reason, your insecurities are taking over, and you have no reason, whatsoever, to feel insecure around me.”
I lifted my finger and pointed it near his face. “This has nothing to do with me being insecure. I have my reasons for not wanting my friends in your house, but . . . never mind.” I moved around Keith and headed toward the kitchen’s doorway. He reached for my arm to stop me.
“Calm down, all right? You have got to stop all of this madness. Please tell me what has got you so on edge like this.”
I didn’t respond, so Keith took my hand. He led the way, and as we walked past the living room, I saw Evelyn sitting close to Bryson again. She sipped from the glass of wine and laughed as if she was having the best time ever.
“You are a cheater,” Bryson said to her. “I don’t play with women who cheat.”
That hookah was way more than that. If he only knew how she really was.
Keith and I went all the way up the stairs to his studio. I guess he didn’t want anyone to hear me yelling or cussing him out. I hadn’t intended on going there, until I sat on the couch and saw a sketch that was on his workstation. He tried to snatch it up, but his hands weren’t quicker than my eyes.
“Please tell me that I didn’t just see what I think I saw.”
“What did you see?”
Why in the hell did he opt to go there? See, these were the kinds of games that I didn’t have time for. He knew damn well what I was talking about. To stand there and try to play clueless infuriated me even more. I tried to snatch the sketchpad from his hand, but he held it up high so I wouldn’t get it.
“Listen,” he said as I stood in front of him. “I forgot all about this. The last thing I need is for you to get the wrong idea. This sketch is totally innocent, and I drew it spur of the moment.”
I held out my hand. “Let me see it.”
Keith sighed and gave the sketch to me. As I suspected, it was a sketch of Evelyn. I swallowed the lump in my throat and tossed the sketch on the couch.
“Do you care to tell me when you did that? Or did it happen during one of her several visits over here?”
Keith had a look on his face as if this was going to be difficult for him to explain. He massaged his hands together, shifted his eyes to the doorway, sighed, and then responded, “She stopped by to get Bryson’s phone number. That’s when I did the sketch.”
“How does a person who stops by to get a phone number, wind up sitting on the couch in your studio with her legs crossed, and getting sketched?”
“I invited her to come upstairs to see my artwork.”
“What else did you invite her to see? I mean, why not your bedroom?”
“Trina, stop it. It wasn’t even like that.”
“How do I know it wasn’t? All of a sudden, she’s showing up at your house, being all chummy and shit with you and your friends. Then I find out that she’s been on the same couch that you done screwed me on time and time again. Not to mention that her phone number is on the sketch, too, Keith. This ain’t looking too good, and I honestly don’t trust you or her.”
“If you truly believe that I’ve been having sex with your friend, then there is no reason for this conversation to continue. It’s bad enough that you don’t even trust me anymore, but to suggest that I’m fucking your friend is pretty low.”
“Before you say anything else, all I ask is that you flip the script. Put yourself in my shoes. You walk into your friend’s house and see a sketched picture of me on his table. Not once has he mentioned that I visited him before, but he took it upon himself to sketch a picture of me. How would you feel?”
“Honestly?”
“I wouldn’t accept your response any other way.”
“Honestly, I wouldn’t be mad. If he’s considered my friend, I would trust him. Just like I would trust that you wouldn’t go there with him. I would think that he drew the picture for me, or something like that.”
I was blunt. “Bullshit, Keith, and you know it. The question is, why did you sketch the picture anyway? I truly don’t get it.”
To me, he looked to be fishing for an answer. Whatever his explanation was, I wasn’t buying it. “I sketched it for Bryson. I was going to play a joke on him by sending him the picture, since he said he couldn’t resist her.”
My eye twitched as I stared at Keith. “Apparently, you couldn’t resist her. That was a bunch of crap you just said, but it doesn’t even matter anymore. I’m out of here. I truly regret coming here to mend things with you.”
I walked out, and as I had expected, Keith didn’t come after me. I was pissed, too, and I couldn’t wait to call Kayla to tell her just how wrong her advice was.
Chapter 9
Evelyn
Bryson and I had been seeing a lot of each other. Keith had given him my number, and I received a phone call later that day. We met up and clicked instantly, had a wonderful dinner at Outback Steakhouse; and then we went downtown to walk around. We talked about everything from his fiancée, who he wasn’t really feeling, to his career that he loved very much. He and Keith were very close, and their parents, as well as their grandparents who had died and left Keith that house, were wealthy people.
Needless to say, I felt like I’d hit the jackpot. I explained my unfortunate financial situation to Bryson, and I told him how difficult it had been for me to find a job. Almost immediately thereafter, he got on the phone and made some phone calls. He set up an interview for me at the construction company he worked for. An administrative assistant position was open, and it paid $40,000 a year. That wasn’t enough money to get overly hyped about, but I couldn’t turn down the job right now. Plus, I had an opportunity to work close with Bryson. As the construction manager, he spent some of his time in the office, too. I was pleased about that. It would allow me the opportunity to keep my eyes on him.
Later that day, I drove to Bryson’s condo for a quick dinner. I wanted to thank him for helping to get me a job, and he also loaned me $1,000 to assist with my rent. My landlord was happy to receive it. I told him I’d be starting a new job, so he backed off, knowing that I might be able to pay my rent on time.
Bryson popped a bottle of champagne and plopped down on the couch. He put the bottle up to his lips and guzzled down the champagne like it was water. When he finished, he slammed the bottle on the table and belched.
“Ahhh, you didn’t want any of that, did you?” he said in a playful manner.
I moved closer to him on the sectional couch and threw my leg over his. I wiggled his tie loose and pulled it away from his neck.
“Champagne doesn’t excite me as much as you do. And I prefer to have, or should I say give you a little something to show you how appreciative I am for the job and for the money you loaned me. I promise to pay it back, and I can’t thank you enough.”
Bryson smiled as I removed his tie and started to unbutton his crisp white shirt. We hadn’t had sex yet, but there was surely a lot of sexting going on between us. I was eager to find out what he was working with.
“Evelyn, I have a feeling that you’re going to get me in a whole lot of trouble. You’re so damn sexy, and I’m looking forward to you serving me, every chance you get.”
As I moved Bryson’s shirt away from his chest and got a glimpse of his bulging muscles and tight abs, the pleasure would be all mine. There were no tattoos on his chest, like Keith’s, and I had to admit that Bryson was a tad bit sexier. I maneuvered myself between his legs and got on my knees. While looking into his light brown eyes that were slightly slanted, I unlatched his leather belt. I pulled it away from his cut waistline and eased his zipper over the growing hump in his black slacks. Within seconds, his dick grew tall and escaped through the slit in his boxers. I touched the tip of it with my long fingernails then gripped it tight.
“Nice,” I said. “And thick and juicy, just how I like it.”
Bryson snickered and kept his eyes glued to me, awaiting my next move. That consisted of my mouth opening wide and covering his entire muscle. I saw his head drop back, and it wasn’t long before his eyes closed. His hand touched the back of my head, and as I sucked him in to the back of my throat, he patted my neck and squeezed it.
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