When Vivana came to a few minutes later, the nosy-ass neighbor she’d wanted to curse out was kneeling beside her. The woman held the side of Vivana’s head, which felt as though it had been hit with a brick. She blinked hard and then closed her eyes after she saw that Johnny’s truck was gone.
Chapter 23
JOHNNY
Johnny sped down the street and onto the highway, glancing into his rearview mirror every few seconds. He was on the lookout for blue lights and sirens after what had just happened. He’d known for months that it was only a matter of time before Vivana pushed him to what he’d just done. Tonight was the first time in his life that he’d ever raised his hand to strike a woman. After watching his mother get beaten down little by little at the hands of his father, he’d vowed not to ever physically harm a woman. He’d kept that promise until tonight, when Vivana slapped him.
Johnny steered his truck into the parking lot of the Hilton Hotel, turned off the engine, and sat for a few minutes. He was relieved that he hadn’t been stopped by the police, which meant neither Vivana nor his neighbor, Mrs. Lehman, had placed a 911 call. He couldn’t figure out why Vivana hadn’t called, given that she probably wanted his head on a platter right now. But he knew Mrs. Lehman didn’t call because, when it came down to it, the woman couldn’t stand Vivana. Vivana had been nasty to Mrs. Lehman on several occasions and had even kicked at the old woman’s poodle when he’d gone off his leash one day.
After Johnny settled into his room, he took a hot shower and lay under the sheets in the same t-shirt and boxer briefs he’d worn all day. “How did I get myself into this situation?” Johnny said aloud as he reflected on the last four months of his life.
There were many days when Johnny wished he could push a redo button, and if he could, he would go back to the day he’d met Vivana nine months ago. Since she’d entered his life he’d lost his wife, his best friend, and as of this very moment he stood in jeopardy of losing his real estate business. Amber was the kind of town where bad news traveled fast, and after his infamous fight with Bernard at the college, Johnny had been blackballed in the industry. It had taken some time for Johnny’s face to heal, and given the way he’d looked, very few people felt safe touring houses led by a physically intimidating black man with a penchant toward violence and battle scars etched in his face. It didn’t take long for his phone to stop ringing and his referrals to dry up, and it didn’t matter that he now looked as good as new because the damage had been done months ago. A permanent die had been cast against him that followed him to this day.
What had made matters even worse was that for the first time in Johnny’s entire life, women had avoided him. He’d had to go through surgeries, skin grafts, and several resurfacing procedures over the last four months. He’d had to wear bandages and walk around like a mummy half the time, and the other half was spent staying inside to avoid direct sunlight while the strong, topical medications he was prescribed ran their course. It wasn’t until five days ago when his final bandages came off, revealing skin as smooth as a baby’s bottom, did he feel a semblance of his old self. But he’d lost touch with everyone and everything he’d once known. Geneva and Bernard, along with clients and colleagues he’d known for years now, seemed like distant memories. No one asked about him and his phone never rang.
The only comfort and sense of control Johnny still had came from the monthly payments he received from a few women he’d been blackmailing. Johnny had routinely taken secret pictures and videos of his conquests during his cheating days, and now they were paying off. But even with their money and the money Vivana was giving him, he was still barely making ends meet, now that he was no longer rolling high in the real estate game.
Johnny flipped through the channels on TV until he found ESPN. Normally, he loved watching the game highlights and sports commentary, but tonight his mind was so muddled that he couldn’t focus on the screen. All he could think about was the phone call he’d received tonight from the man who used to be his best friend.
When he saw Bernard’s number appear on his phone, his initial reaction was surprise. He hadn’t spoken to Bernard since that fateful day four months ago. Johnny had wanted to reach out to Bernard on several occasions, but he stopped himself short of calling each time he thought about the way Bernard had initiated the fight that drove a wedge between them. Johnny was hurt that his friend would do that to him. All over a woman.
After Johnny got over the initial shock of seeing Bernard’s number, he became hopeful. In the back of his mind he’d been hoping that his friend would come to his senses and apologize so they could restore their friendship. But that didn’t happen. Johnny shook his head when he thought about the real reason behind Bernard’s phone call.
As soon as Johnny answered the phone Bernard started in.
“What’s up,” Johnny said in a guarded tone. “It’s been a long time.”
“I’ll tell you what’s up, muthafucka,” Bernard said, slurring his words. “You’re what’s up, you no-good piece of shit.”
“Whooa,” Johnny said. He could tell right away that Bernard was pissy drunk, and it surprised him because Bernard hadn’t drank to the point of excess since his divorce several years ago. “I don’t know what your problem is, but it’s not with me.”
“Oh, yes it is,” Bernard said. Anger mixed with liquor dripped from his voice. “Because of you I lost my job, my house is in foreclosure, I started drinking again, and tonight Candace gave me back her engagement ring and said the wedding is off. If it hadn’t been for your selfish, lyin’ ass, I wouldn’t be in this situation.”
Johnny had to pause for a moment to process the fact that Bernard was actually blaming him for his life falling apart. Johnny was pissed because he wasn’t the one who’d thrown the first blow that had led to both their demises. He’d lost a lot behind Bernard’s hot-headed, impulsive move. He was so mad he could barely think straight. And added to his frustration, Vivana was looming close by, practically breathing down his neck, demanding to know who he was talking to. He knew he had to end the conversation before he exploded. “That’s your problem, not mine,” he told Bernard, ready to hang up the phone.
His comment enraged Bernard even more. And what he told Johnny next were words that made Johnny’s blood run cold.
“That’s where you’re wrong,” Bernard growled. “My problems are your problems. You caused me to lose everything, and now you have to answer for that shit. I should’ve killed you when I had the chance. But don’t worry, I know how to finish the job. You’re a dead muthafucka.”
“Fuck you!” Johnny said, and then hung up the phone.
Bernard’s last sentence kept repeating itself inside Johnny’s head. Never did he think that his friendship with Bernard would come to this. But then again, there were many things in his life that Johnny never thought would happen, but they did.
Unable to concentrate on the TV, and too wound up to sleep, Johnny needed something to relax him. Vivana’s drama, along with Bernard’s call, had interrupted the ice-cold beer he’d been trying to drink, so he rose from the bed and redressed in the jeans and sweater he’d been wearing. He slipped on his black suede loafers, grabbed his wallet and room key, and headed downstairs to the hotel bar.
“This is more like it,” he said as he walked into the elegant looking space. He hadn’t gone out much over the last four months, partly because he didn’t want to take Vivana with him for worry of how she might act in public, but mostly because it had taken his face so long to heal. But now that he was back to his old self, he had an urge to dip his spoon into whatever tasty treat he could find. It didn’t take him long to spot a delicious looking, long-legged beauty who was sitting at the bar all alone.
He knew that wherever there was a beautiful woman, there was likely a man nearby. He took a seat in a lounge chair, ordered a drink, and waited to see if she would remain alone. He noticed that her eyes never left the drink she was nursing and her head didn’t turn toward the entrance. Bot
h were signs that she wasn’t awaiting company. Johnny finished his rum and Coke and walked over to where the woman was sitting at the bar.
“Is this seat taken?” he said, flashing his brilliant white teeth. He licked his lusciously full lips for emphasis and right away he knew he could have the attractive woman up in his room in a matter of minutes.
She smiled sheepishly. “I’m waiting for my girlfriend to arrive,” she said as she blushed.
He checked her ring finger and saw that it was bare. He thought it was rather odd that she wasn’t dressed for a night out on the town. He knew that usually when women met up with their girlfriends at a bar this time of night, a trip to the club was next. “Oh, really?” he said smoothly. He was about to tell her to have a good night and be on his way when she smiled and engaged him.
“She texted me and said she’s running late,” she offered.
“Does that mean I can keep you company until she arrives?”
The attractive woman shifted her slim hips in her seat and smiled. “Only if you buy me a drink.”
Johnny gladly obliged.
Her name was Gayle, and she was one of the best looking women Johnny had seen in a long time. Well-groomed, educated, and sophisticated refinement made her extra appealing to his senses. He’d been out of the game for a while, but Johnny was sure that this woman could help him fall right back into place.
He ordered Gayle another Moscato and another rum and Coke for himself. They sat at the bar and flirted shamelessly for another thirty minutes. “Are you sure your friend is still coming?” he asked.
“No, I’m not,” she answered. “She said she was on her way, but that was right before you came, and she hasn’t texted or called me since.”
“Did you have plans to go somewhere after you meet up here?”
“Actually, no. We were going to meet here just to talk because it’s close to where we both live, and as you can see it’s private and the atmosphere is nice. My friend’s had a long week, and she just needs to blow off some steam. That’s why I’m surprised she hasn’t gotten here by now.”
“I hope she’s okay,” Johnny said, pretending to be concerned, but hoping her friend wouldn’t show up so he could take Gayle to his room.
“I guess I should call her because it’s not like her to say she’s going to do something and not follow through.”
Johnny didn’t want Gayle to call her friend because more than likely if her friend was troubled, that meant whatever drama she was going through, it was keeping her preoccupied at this very moment. His guess was that her problem involved a man. He swallowed the last of his drink and knew that it was time to seal the deal for a little late-night rendezvous. He slid close to Gayle and looked into her eyes. “I’m really feeling you,” he said to her in a slow and sexy voice. “Why don’t we continue our conversation upstairs.”
Gayle looked a little hesitant. “I’m not sure about that. I, um, I just met you.”
“That’s true, but as you can tell, I’m a gentleman, and trust me, I know how to make a lady feel like a woman.”
Gayle blushed and grinned with seduction as she ate up Johnny’s words. But their cat and mouse flirting was abruptly interrupted when a woman walked up on them and glared at Johnny.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Candace said, looking at Johnny as if she’d just seen the devil. Then she turned to her friend, Gayle. “How do you know this low-down son of a bitch?”
Johnny couldn’t believe his bad luck. Out of all the women in the world that Gayle could be friends with, Johnny was pissed that it had to be Candace. She was looking at him with a stare that told him there was going to be drama in the quiet, subdued bar.
“What’s going on?” Gayle said, looking at her friend.
Candace placed her hand on her hip. “This is the sorry-ass friend that got Bernard fired and ruined our lives.”
Gayle gasped. “This is the Johnny that you’ve been talking about all these months?”
Candace nodded and pointed her finger at Johnny. “Bernard lost everything behind you, trying to defend my honor. He was so happy about his promotion, but because of you it was stripped away before he could enjoy it. His reputation went down the tubes, and after that, every job he applied for turned him down. The next thing I knew he started drinking, his house went into foreclosure, and now he’s just a mess,” Candace rattled off.
Johnny tried to control his temper, but he was fed up. First Bernard had cursed him out and threatened him, and then Vivana had slapped him, coaxing him into committing an act that he never thought he would do. Now, Candace was coming dangerously close to pushing him over the edge. He knew he needed to leave immediately before things got out of hand. He motioned for the bartender to close his tab, and without another word he rose from his barstool.
“Oh, hell no,” Candace barked. “I know you’re not gonna leave while I’m talking to you.”
Johnny lost it. “Bitch, you better move out of my way.”
The bartender stepped in. “Do I need to call hotel security?”
“You might,” Gayle said. She hopped off her barstool and stood beside Candace in solidarity.
“Fuck both of you,” Johnny said, “I’m leaving.”
The bartender stepped in again. “I don’t want any trouble in here tonight. Ladies, let him through so he can leave.”
Candace lunged at Johnny, but Gayle held her back. “You ruined the only man I’ve ever loved,” Candace sobbed. “Bernard was doing so well. He was attending his counseling sessions regularly and he’d completely changed his life from the drunken sex addict he used to be. I was going to spend my life with him.”
“Sex addict?” Johnny said with surprise.
“Don’t play stupid,” Candace yelled. “You knew about Bernard’s struggles, and I knew you were jealous of how he’d turned his life around. It killed you that he and I were happy. I told him months ago to stay away from you because all you were going to do was bring him down. And that’s exactly what you did.
“I was late getting here tonight because when I went to Bernard’s house I found him drunk, passed out beside some half-naked woman,” she said as a small tear rolled down her cheek.
“Oh, no,” Gayle said.
“I gave the ring back and called off the wedding.”
Gayle placed her hand on Candace’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s not your fault,” Candace said. Her tears turned back to anger. “It’s his!”
Johnny balked. “The hell it is! Don’t blame me because your man couldn’t control his liquor or his dick. If you’d been handling your business at home, you wouldn’t be here making a fool of yourself in the middle of this bar.”
Candace stopped crying and her voice became colder than the dropping temperature outside. “I—I should kill you,” she said, her voice filled with venom. “The world would be a better place without scum like you who continuously hurt others. You better watch your step!”
Her tone and words sent a chill through Johnny that made the hair stand up on the back of his neck, and he knew he had to leave before something really bad happened.
Once Johnny was back in his room he took off his clothes and climbed into bed. His head hurt from the constant bullshit that seemed to plague him. As he lay in the dark he thought about his life and how nothing made sense anymore. He reflected on each chaotic event that had happened over the last few months, and his heart sunk with the realization that the common denominator in all of it was him. As much as he hated to admit it, Bernard had been right. Johnny was at the center of all his problems.
Johnny shook his head, thinking about how, ever since Geneva left him, his life had felt empty. His house was no longer a home. He no longer had a sense of comfort. Through all the lying, cheating, and neglect, she’d stood by him until he’d made it impossible for her to continue on.
Tonight had been a turning point in Johnny’s life. When he’d hit Vivana it brought back memories of his mother, w
hich brought back the words she used to tell him long ago, words that he’d buried with her memory. “Son, behind every good man, there’s a good woman.” For the first time in over twenty years, Johnny wept. He cried in silence for the lost boy he used to be, and for the reckless man he’d become. He cried for the broken pieces he’d created in the lives of the women he’d hurt over the years, and for the best friend whose life he’d ruined with his jealous, selfish ways.
As Johnny drifted off to sleep, he vowed that if he was blessed to open his eyes in the morning, he would look through them with a different attitude and purpose. He knew he needed to start righting some of the wrongs he’d committed, and the first thing he was going to do was go by the salon and apologize to Geneva.
Chapter 24
GENEVA
Geneva sat in her chair at the salon, sipping her white chocolate mocha latte, waiting for her first client to arrive. It was eight o’clock Saturday morning, and the place was already packed with customers. This was the salon’s busiest day of the week, and Geneva had hoped she wouldn’t have to come in today.
She’d wanted to lie in Samuel’s arms this morning, make love to him, and then cook the two of them a big breakfast. But when she awoke before the sun came up and saw that Cheryl hadn’t returned her call from last night, she knew she had to come in. Just as she was about to step into the shower and get dressed for work, her phone rang. She looked at the brightly lit screen and was surprised by the contact name that appeared. Councilwoman Harris was calling her.
The councilwoman had canceled her standing appointment a few days ago because she’d been under the weather with a change of season cold. She’d been so sick that she’d forgotten about a city gala she needed to attend tonight, and because she’d missed her appointment, she was in dire need of a wash and blow dry. Geneva told her to come in a half hour after Cheryl was supposed to arrive; that way she could do both their hair in three hours flat and still have time to go home and enjoy the rest of her Saturday.
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