The Available Wife

by Pennington, Carla

  “What time is good for you?” I inquired.

  “In a couple of hours.”

  “There is this park on Memorial Loop Drive near Arnot Street. It’s….”

  “I know where it is,” he cut me off. I didn’t question how he knew where the park was because I didn’t care. I just needed to see him. “I’ll call you when I’m on my way.” Without a goodbye, he hung up.

  I needed to call my mother to check on the kids, and to see if Germaine had contacted her. I needed to make sure I kept drilling in her head to not answer the phone if he called. She had a soft spot for Germaine and I needed to harden it. I knew Kingston would kill him once he found out what Germaine did to me. But I had to make sure Kingston didn’t know that I initiated it. I actually wanted to be present when he took care of Germaine. I wanted to see him tied up like Hummer. I wanted to see him begging and pleading with his eyes. I wanted tears to stream down his face as he watched Kingston point a gun in his face and me on the sideline smiling. I wanted that bastard to know it was me who orchestrated his death.

  I was happy that Kingston declined my invitation to get a room because I knew we’d end up having sex. I could never resist him when we were together. I would’ve loved to have him kissing and stroking me, but I was in no shape to have him between my legs. Germaine made sure of that. One minute he was gentle then the next he was a brute. He had me in positions that he and I had never tried before. He’d pushed me way past my limits. It was almost as if his ass was trying to make up for lost time. I thought he’d stop when he saw and heard me crying, but that shit made him push even harder, like he wanted to punish me. Like he wanted me to pay for my sins.

  When my phone rang, it cleared my thoughts. I glanced at the caller ID. It was Germaine. I sent him straight to voicemail then called my mother.

  “Did he call you?” I asked as soon as she answered.

  “Yes, he did.”

  “Why did you answer the phone? Do you know how to follow fucking directions?”

  “He kept calling, Nikki. I had to.”

  “You didn’t have to answer! What did he say?”

  “He asked me had I seen you and if I had the boys.”

  “What did you tell him?”

  “I couldn’t lie to him with Nathan crying and Johnathan laughing in the background.”

  “Did you tell him where you were?”

  “No, Nikki, I didn’t. You need to tell me what’s going on.”

  When my line beeped, I glanced at the ID. It was Meagan. What in the hell did she want? “Mama, I gotta go.” I clicked over to Meagan. “What?”

  “Did you forget?” she asked frantically.

  “Forget what?”

  “Dizzy, Flex Jones and Clarise Mason are leaving.”

  “Shit!” I screamed into the phone. How in the hell could I forget that they were coming to sign their contracts today? “Meagan, I’ll be there in…”

  “No need to, Niquole.”

  “What do you mean? I’ll be there in like fifteen minutes.”

  “All three of them say they’ve been trying to contact you for over a week and don’t feel comfortable working with you.”

  “No one has called me. No one has emailed me.”

  “Niquole, you’ve been out a lot lately. You haven’t been giving much attention to what’s been going on around here,” she said like I needed a reminder.

  “No one has called my fucking phone!”

  “Did you give them your cell phone number? If you didn’t, they’ve probably been calling the office and leaving messages. Have you checked them?”

  “No, Meagan,” I calmed down after realizing that I’d probably just lost out on three great acts. “Besides, you’re my fucking assistant. If any messages or calls came through, wouldn’t you be the first to get them?” I asked nastily as I thought about her involvement with Kingston.

  “I…I haven’t received any calls or messages either,” she stuttered.

  I felt like she was lying. “Meagan, if I find out that you had something to do with this shit, your ass is mine!”

  “Niquole, what are you talking about?” she asked like I’d insulted and hurt her feelings. “What reason would I have to do that to you?”

  Because you want my man. “Is there anything else, Meagan?”

  “Yeah, there is.” There was a long pause. “They’re all going to A.J.’s label.”

  “What?” I freaked out.

  “From what they’re telling me, A.J. is offering them a deal they can’t refuse.”

  “You’re fucking kidding me?!” I screamed. “That sneaky bastard!”

  “They gave you a chance, and…”

  “Look, I don’t need you to make me feel any shittier than I already feel right now. Fine! Fuck it! Tell ‘em to go onto A.J. then! I don’t give a shit!”

  “Are you okay?”

  I hung up.

  It was an injury to lose out on the three acts, but them going to A.J. was a damn insult. He’d probably bad mouthed me to them, too. That son-of-a-bitch coming to the album release party was no coincidence. He’d obviously come to check out my fresh new talent and steal ‘em away from me. I guess that was making me pay for what I did to him. Once I got all my shit in order, he would be hearing from me. Greedy bastard.

  I couldn’t believe how out of focus I had become. I never would’ve let something that important slip my mind. My life was getting more fucked up by the minute, but seeing Kingston was more important than anything else going on in my life. I had a few hours to kill before we met up. It quickly dawned on me that I was still in the Four Seasons parking lot. I also had worked up an appetite. I needed energy.

  I drove to the nearest McDonald’s, grabbed a Big Mac extra value meal then headed to the park. I sat in my car and watched the kids play and the parents converse amongst themselves. I smiled as I thought about me and Kingston doing that one day with the boys and maybe a child of our own.

  I dug my hand into the bag for the loose fries that had fallen out of the holder. They were hot just like I liked them. I shoved a few in my mouth and washed them down with the Sprite that came with the meal. Out of nowhere, the sky suddenly became a little dark. A storm was brewing. Suddenly, the parents began scooping their kids and tossing them in cars. Pretty soon, the park was empty. I finished off my meal while listening to Heather Headley. I then let my seat back, and released a flood of tears. I must’ve been in my own little world because the next thing I knew, I heard someone knocking on my window.

  “Niquole? Niquole?”

  When I jumped and looked up, Kingston was standing beside the car. I took a quick glance at the dashboard clock.

  “Hey,” I greeted him after letting the window down.

  “What did you need to talk to me about? It’s about to rain and I need to get going.”

  I didn’t like the fact that he was rushing me. I turned my car off and stepped out. It took everything in me not to dive into his arms. I needed him.

  “Can I at least get a hug?” I asked thinking that was a terrible thing to ask by the look on his face.

  “Niquole, what is it?” he asked. “I don’t have time for this.”

  I walked over to one of the picnic tables and sat down. Kingston followed but stood a few feet away from me. I couldn’t understand why he was acting like this especially since I hadn’t told him the bad news. I braced myself and took a deep breath.

  “Germaine knows that I had something to do with Hummer’s death.”

  His eyes widened. “How in the hell does he know that?”

  I stood up. “Baby, he found the jacket in the trash and he had the blood tested.” I made sure not to let him know that I’d actually confessed to Germaine that the blood was Hummer’s. I watched Kingston bite his bottom lip. I swallowed the huge lump in my throat. “I promise that I didn’t say anything about you. He thinks I paid someone to kill him.” His silence was killing me so I had to pour it on a little thicker. “Baby, he made me have sex with
him. He raped me.” I was pissed because I couldn’t formulate any tears. “Baby, if we just go ahead and get rid of him then no one will ever know. You can leave your wife so we can be together.”

  He stared at me for a few seconds. “You’re one stupid bitch!” he yelled right before slapping the taste out of my mouth. The blow was so hard that I fell back on the table. Stunned, I grabbed my throbbing cheek.

  “Kingston. I’m sorry,” I cried. There was no need for me to create fake tears anymore because these were real. “I promise you that I didn’t tell him anything.”

  He grabbed me and got all up in my face. “How could you be so fucking stupid? I told your ass to get rid of it!” he screamed while shaking me.

  “Baby, I’m sorry. It’s not my fault. He saw me when I threw it away.”

  “Why in the fuck did you throw it away at your damn house, Niquole?” My mouth opened, but nothing came out. “You didn’t get rid of it when I told you to, did you?”

  “Baby, please. I forgot.”

  He slapped me again.

  “You’re taking the fall for that muthafucka’s death if your bitch ass husband gets a chance to go to the police! I knew I shouldn’t have fucked around with you for this long!” he ranted then paced around in circles. “I got sidetracked fucking around with you!”

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “This shit between you and me wasn’t supposed to go on for this long.”

  The tears started flowing faster. “But you…you love me, Kingston.”

  “Bitch, please,” he laughed menacingly. “I don’t fucking love you.”

  “But you killed Hummer for me. If that’s not love then what is?”

  My stomach began to turn in knots as I listened to him laugh like I’d said something funny.

  “I didn’t kill Hummer for you, bitch. His death had nothing to do with you. It just played right into my plan to string you along, but I didn’t expect for you to be this damn needy and obsessed.”

  “What are you saying? I don’t understand.”

  “You were just a ploy in my plan. All of this was just a fucking act.”

  Those knots in my stomach twisted even more. What was he talking about? What was he saying to me? I was confused. “I still don’t understand, Kingston.”

  He pulled his wallet from his back pocket and pulled out a newspaper article. I stared at him in disbelief as he shoved it in my face. I read the headline.

  A young woman was found brutally raped in a local club parking lot.

  “What is this about?” I asked.

  He pulled a photo of a girl from the wallet and shoved it in my face, too. “This is the girl they’re talking about.”

  I still didn’t understand what any of that had to do with me. “I don’t get it, Kingston. Who is that?”

  “This is my fucking sister!”

  “Oh my God, but what does she have to do with me?”

  “This happened a month before I met you. She’s dead now. She killed herself because she couldn’t deal with it.”

  “I’m sorry but what…”

  “Your fucking husband and that nigga Hummer did it! They raped her!”

  Shock was an understatement for me, but I couldn’t help but wonder how he could possibly know they were the culprits. I was too outdone to ask him how he knew. I still couldn’t get over the fact that the man who I loved was only using me. My body was weak and I felt like I could hardly breathe. When I stared into his eyes, I saw nothing but coldness. Then something hit me.

  “You cut Germaine’s brake line, didn’t you?”

  “What do you think?”

  “You put the pin in my jacket.”

  “In case you didn’t throw it away, I needed you to be the number one suspect.”

  I was speechless. “Did you flatten my tires at that reception?”

  “Naw, I didn’t do that.”

  Well who in the hell did that? I thought. “I still don’t get it. What was your plan and how was I a part of it?”

  “Please don’t tell me that you’re this fucking stupid. Hummer is dead, Niquole. Who do you think is next? I needed you to get close to your husband.”

  I stared at Kingston like he was something from out of space. I should’ve been really afraid of him at that moment, but I wasn’t. Any other woman would’ve took off running like an Olympic sprinter, but I wasn’t one of those women. Hell, I wanted what he wanted…Germaine dead.

  “I don’t care what you say, you love me. You fell in love with me Kingston.”

  “Let me show you just how much I love you,” Kingston spoke sinisterly as he approached me.

  “What do you mean? What are you doing?” I asked when he grabbed my wrists.

  “I think it’s only fair if that bitch ass husband of yours feels the same way I felt when he raped my sister.”

  Suddenly, he threw me across the picnic table and yanked my jeans to my ankles. “Kingston, what are you doing?” I cried. “I just told you that Germaine raped me.”

  “Then it should be easy for me to get in.” He punched me in my face then forced me onto my stomach. “I’m gonna make sure you don’t like this then maybe you’ll leave me the hell alone,” he breathed devilishly in my ear before forcing himself inside my asshole.

  CHAPTER 21

  “Ma’am? Ma’am, can you tell us what happened to you?”

  I could hardly see the nurse who was asking me questions because my right eye had nearly closed from Kingston’s fist.

  “Ma’am did you drive yourself here?”

  I was in another world that involved total disbelief and disarray, but I nodded yes after thinking back to me damn near crawling to my car. There was another butch-looking female standing on the other side of me holding a camera. Now, I knew what those rape victims on Law & Order SVU felt like. I think I shocked them when I refused to have a rape kit done. The nurse stared at me with disbelief. I guess she couldn’t understand my reason.

  “You need to let the doctor check out your wounds,” she said.

  “Wounds?” I asked curiously while touching my face. My eye was swollen and my lip felt split. .

  “Let me get you into a room so the doctor can see you,” she said in a tone like I didn’t have a choice. Five minutes later, I was in a private room. “An officer should be in here shortly to take your statement, ma’am,” the nurse advised me with a warm smile before exiting the room.

  Once she closed the door, I lost it. “How could you do that to me and then leave me in the rain?” I cried out loud. “You love me, Kingston! You fucking love me!” I screamed. “Baby, you hurt me, but I know you didn’t mean it! It’s not your fault! It’s not your fucking fault!”

  I couldn’t get the visual out of my head. I also couldn’t believe Kingston had used me as a punching bag and raped me in broad daylight. His ass being bold was an understatement. Who did shit like that in a fucking park?

  When it began to rain, I thought he would stop, but he didn’t. It actually intensified the moment for him. The harder he beat me, the louder I screamed. The harder he fucked me, the louder I screamed. That was what he wanted. He wanted to break me down like his sister had been. He wanted me to feel what his sister felt. He wanted to give Germaine a dose of his own medicine at my expense. The entire situation was fucked up.

  I was so wrapped up in my emotions that I didn’t see or hear Germaine walk into the room. His facial expressions went from concerned to terrified and apologetic, but mine stayed the same as I stared at him. Anger and disgust.

  “How did you know that I was here?” I asked.

  “Tyrell was dispatched to come and interview a domestic violence victim. When he saw that it was you, he called me. Nikki, baby, what happened?” Germaine asked nearly in tears. He stood beside me and reached for my hand. However, I yanked it away as I thought back to what Kingston had told me about the incident with his sister. I certainly believed it to be true. Besides, why wouldn’t I believe it? Hummer had even tried to rape me
and Germaine had just took advantage of me as well. They were monsters who needed to be stopped.

  “Why do you care? You did the same shit to me the other night.”

  He gave me a look of disbelief. “I didn’t rape you, Nikki. I just played along with your game.”

  “Call it what you want,” I said then rolled my eyes. I wanted him out of my face and out of my room. I didn’t need him there trying to comfort me when he was the reason I was there.

  “Who did this to you? Tell me, please,” Germaine pleaded.

  I glared at him. “It doesn’t matter. You’re not gonna do a damn thing about it anyway.”

  “What? I’d do anything for you, Nikki.”

  “My fucking name is Niquole!” I screamed demonically causing him to jump back. “This is all your fucking fault!”

  “My fault? What are you talking about?” he asked confused.

  All I could think about was him being the reason why Kingston was so upset. If Germaine hadn’t done what he did then things between me and Kingston would’ve been perfect. Not to mention, I wouldn’t have been raped.

  “Get out,” I ordered.

  “Baby, if this is about last night, I’m sorry.”

  “Leave! Just fucking go!”

  I could tell that he was thrown for a loop by my actions. “I talked to your mom before I came here. I’m going to get the boys and take them home.”

  At this point, I really didn’t give a damn. “Germaine, I don’t care. Just leave me the hell alone.”

  Germaine backed away, never taking his eyes off of me. He was nearly struck by the opening of the door as he backed into it. It was Meagan carrying two dozens of yellow tulips. When she tried to hug Germaine, I saw a little hesitation on his part. That wasn’t the first time I saw him act a little awkward around her.

  “Okay, I’m leaving,” he said before quickly hurrying out the door.

  I glared at Meagan. I didn’t want her near me. “Meagan, how did you know I was here?”

  “My cousin works here. She called me.”

  I could only imagine who else knew I was in the hospital. I watched Meagan as she walked toward me. This bitch had some nerve. As soon as she reached me, she burst into tears. I wondered if I looked that bad or if she was feeling guilty about something.