“Yes,” he said. “We persuaded him not to walk away from the deal, but he still wants to scale the original plans back to save money. So we’ve got to meet with him again, and the best time for him is tomorrow evening. Sorry.”
“I’m so sick of hearing you say sorry,” she retorted. They’d had this discussion many times before. His work was always of the utmost urgency. Never mind their plans. She could always be put off. The client couldn’t. “One of these days, you’re going to put me first.”
“Come on, Lenora. That’s not fair. You always come first, you know that. But one of the things I love about our relationship is your flexibility. You understand what I’m trying to do, what I’m trying to build.”
She said nothing. She was still trying to recover from this major disappointment.
“And you know that I’ll make it up to you, right? In fact, I was going to suggest that we spend all day Saturday together. We can do lunch, dinner, a movie. Since it’s the weekend, we’ll have enough time to do whatever you want. Unless you have other plans.”
She did have other plans. She was supposed to meet with Monica and Alise. And she had already moved the meeting with her girlfriends once to accommodate Gerald. But she didn’t dare tell Gerald that. If she did, he would probably insist that she stick to her plans for a night out with the girls. And that wasn’t what she had in mind to do. As much as she hated to cancel again on Monica and Alise, spending time with her man came first.
“Saturday will do,” Lenora said reluctantly. “I’ll call the Iron Bridge and try to reschedule.” Monica was going to be livid, Lenora thought, but she would get over it eventually.
“Good,” Gerald said.
“I guess this means you’re too busy to come by tonight after work,” she said.
“Afraid so. I’ll be here late planning for tomorrow’s big meeting with the client.”
“I’ve hardly seen you all week.”
“I know. I was thinking the same thing earlier today. I’ll try to call tonight, but I don’t want to promise and not do it again. If I get bogged down and it’s really late when I get home, maybe not.”
“I understand.” Or she was trying to. She dropped the phone in the cradle. There was a time when that kind of news from Gerald would have led to an argument, especially in the period following the affair. She would have jumped up from her seat, closed her office door, and returned to the phone to have it out with him.
But she had learned that arguing with Gerald about anything that had to do with his business was a waste of time. If anything, it made him fight back harder. If they were going to be together, he expected her to be understanding about his work. It was his dream to run a successful business, and she had to come to grips with that and all it entailed.
She reached for the phone to call Dawna about the photos and then Monica to give her the news about the change in plans. That was going to be a tough call, but Monica would come around. They had been close friends since college. If Monica or Alise wanted to cancel because of something to do with their men, they knew that Lenora would understand.
It looked like tomorrow was going to be another lonely Friday night sitting up watching television, waiting for the lottery drawing, and hoping for a call from her boyfriend. At least she knew the lottery drawing would happen on schedule. The call from Gerald was a lot more doubtful.
Chapter 9
Lenora woke up on Saturday morning with a huge headache. As soon as she moved to sit up, her temples throbbed as if a gong were being struck repeatedly next to her bed. “Ugh!” She moaned and rubbed her forehead. That was when she realized that her mouth was as dry as sandpaper.
She opened her eyes to peek at the clock on her nightstand, but the view was obstructed by a half-empty bottle of Baileys Irish Cream. She grunted as she placed the bottle on the floor and noticed Paws standing at the foot of the bed, her head cocked to the side as she stared at Lenora. Paws was probably desperate for a walk.
She leaned up on her elbow and reached across the bed for the remote to shut the TV off. That was when she noticed the photo of Ray on the sheet next to her, and the long night of guilty pleasure with a man she barely knew flooded her memory.
She sat up, feeling guilty, and turned Ray’s photo upside down. Then she wondered why she should feel bad. Gerald hadn’t bothered to call for two days straight. Not Thursday night and not all day or night Friday. And when she dialed his number, she kept getting his answering machine. She suspected that she finally nodded off around midnight last night, since the last thing she remembered was the news going off and the late-night talk shows coming on.
“Damn that man to hell,” she muttered. The last time she spoke to him was at work on Thursday. She was really getting fed up with his crap. Something wasn’t right. Why would business meetings keep him out so late at night? Why did he get so occupied that he couldn’t take a minute to call and check in on her? She had a bad feeling in her gut. She kept hoping that this would go away. Instead, it got worse with every postponement, every cancellation, every missed call.
She patted Paws on the head and gave her an “I’m sorry, you’ll have to wait a bit longer” look. It was already 10:30 a.m., but she had to try to reach Gerald before she budged from this bed. She grabbed her cell phone off the nightstand and dialed his landline. If he answered that line, she would at least know he was at home, and it would be easier to believe that he simply got in late again last night and didn’t call because he didn’t want to disturb her. Whereas he could be anywhere if she called his cell phone and he answered that.
The landline rang and rang, and her anxiety grew. Sometimes she wondered why she even bothered with the man, but she couldn’t imagine life without Gerald. She hung up and furiously dialed his cell phone. He answered on the third ring.
“Hey, baby. What’s up?” he said.
Lenora’s lips tightened. “Don’t you dare act like everything is all right with us. Where the hell have you been for two days?”
“At the office mostly. I meant to—”
“You’re lying, Gerald,” she snapped. “Where are you now?”
“I’m not lying. And I’m at my apartment building now.”
“Then why didn’t you answer your landline just a minute ago?”
“Probably because I’m already outside my building, walking to my car, on my way to see you.”
“Oh?” Lenora frowned, trying to figure out whether what he was saying made sense. He lived about thirty minutes away, in a high-rise apartment building in downtown Silver Spring, and he parked on the street. If he had already left his apartment when she rang him, he would not have heard the phone. So he could be telling her the truth. Maybe.
“I still don’t understand why you didn’t call me last night,” she said, still full of doubt. “Or the night before.”
“I ended up sleeping at the office Thursday night. I was in meetings most of yesterday and didn’t get home until two this morning. Then I crashed until about an hour ago. Frankly, I was exhausted and in no mood to talk about anything.”
Lenora sighed deeply. Should she let it go? Again. What else could she do? She had a nagging feeling that something was off, but she couldn’t find anything concrete. And if he was telling the truth, how could she fault a man for working hard to build his dream? “Okay,” she said, her tone softer. “So we’re still on for today, right?”
“Of course,” he said. “I’m hopping in the car now. Should be there in around thirty.”
“Cool.” As soon as they hung up, Lenora glanced down and suddenly remembered that she didn’t have much time to shower, dress, and walk Paws. It also dawned on her that she had yet to check the lottery numbers for Friday night’s Mega Millions drawing. She had been so despondent about not hearing from Gerald that she forgot all about the ticket.
She picked the photo of Ray up off the bed, now feeling even more guilt about fantasizing half the night about another man. But she didn’t have time to dwell on that. She qu
ickly tucked the photo under the mattress, slipped into her flip-flops, and ran into the bathroom to get dressed.
Chapter 10
Gerald was a little late, but for once Lenora was thankful he didn’t arrive on time. The extra minutes allowed her to get her head together, to banish all thoughts of Ray and come back to sanity. And that sanity was Gerald, her real-life, in-the-flesh boyfriend of three years.
She also spent several minutes searching for the lottery ticket, to no avail, despite practically turning the condo upside down. When the doorbell rang, she decided to postpone the search. She was excited to see Gerald and wanted to focus on him. Besides, he didn’t really understand the whole lottery thing, since he believed that the chances of winning were close to nil. And he was right. In moments of clarity, she didn’t really think she would win any money either. Gerald was her prize.
And he was looking good as he stepped over the threshold wearing navy slacks and a beige shirt that showed off his nice caramel-colored complexion. He was carrying a bottle of Baileys Irish Cream, which he knew was her favorite drink, and that explained why he was running a little behind. She accepted the bottle, wrapped her arms around his shoulders, and kissed him fondly. She missed her man more than usual, with him working late all the time. At least he was here with her now.
She placed the Baileys in the refrigerator, and he sat on the couch, picked up the remote, and flipped the television on. But Lenora had other ideas in mind. She was wearing cutoff blue jeans and she sat across his lap and straddled him. She removed his glasses and kissed him again, this time thrusting her tongue into his mouth. He seemed surprised to find her behaving this amorously so soon after his arrival, but he quickly got with the program. He shut the television off, and they slowly sank down on the couch with him on top.
The first thing Gerald always did when they began to make love was to nibble on her earlobe. In the beginning of their relationship, his thick mustache tickled her pleasurably no end. Then again, everything about him thrilled her in those early days. Not so much anymore, especially the ear nibbling. Probably because she always expected it, there was no surprise, no suspense. In fact, to her way of thinking, their lovemaking sessions had become too much like reading an instruction manual on how to assemble a piece of furniture. A, nibble on ear. B, undo clothing. C, enter. D, sit back and catch breath. Repeat.
Lenora wanted to toss the routine, try something different. She removed his head from her ears and guided it down toward her boobs. He resisted for a second and then his tongue slowly found its way down to her cleavage. He reached down, found the zipper to her cutoffs, and helped her slide them off her hips, along with her bikini undies. He knew that of late she preferred to keep her top on when they made love, because she was ashamed of her increasingly bulky tummy. So he lifted himself up above her on one arm and quickly shed his slacks. He moved to enter her, but she raised a hand to stop him. He looked at her, breathless but clearly puzzled. She smiled seductively and twisted their bodies around on the couch until she was on top of him. If he looked puzzled before, he was happy now.
She was just starting to really get her groove on when he flipped her around until he was back on top. What was wrong with him? Didn’t he get it? They needed to try something to the side or do it on the floor. Anything but this again, she thought as he panted and pumped inside her. They used to enjoy trying new positions here and there, but lately Gerald always wanted the same old boring drill. When she asked why, he explained that he was simply too tired to be adventurous. He reasoned that the missionary position was familiar, relatively effortless, and always worked. She figured that it was better than no action at all, so she would spread her legs, close her eyes, and hope for the best.
Surprisingly, her desire mounted quickly that afternoon, likely still strong from the previous night of fantasizing. So she allowed herself to go there completely, to be consumed with thoughts of Ray. With his silky chocolate complexion, his beautiful strong hands. Warm sensations pulsed through her loins…
“You about to come?”
Lenora’s eyes burst open at the sound of Gerald’s voice. The question shouldn’t have startled her. Gerald almost always asked it at some point in their lovemaking, usually prematurely. What he really meant was for her to have her orgasm now so he could have his turn. It wasn’t a complete turnoff. At least it hadn’t been in the past, since she was used to it. She either quickly did her thing or faked it.
But this time was different. This time he had interrupted an intense interlude with Ray, literally the man of her dreams. She didn’t want to fake it. She shut her eyes tightly and tried to push Gerald’s question out of her mind. She tried to bring Ray back.
“You feeling it yet, baby?” Gerald asked.
“Yeah,” she lied with exasperation as thoughts of Ray vanished into the nether. She tightened her lips and waited as his pace quickened. Then he stiffened and finally climbed off her. She stared at the ceiling while he slipped back into his boxer shorts. Then she sat up, slid into her underwear, and glanced at her watch. Fortunately, that had wasted only nine minutes of her time.
It used to bother her immensely that their lovemaking had become so monotonous and often did absolutely nothing for her. At first she attempted to spice things up by introducing candles, music, sexy nighties. She shed a few pounds. She tried having long talks with Gerald. But her efforts had done little to improve the sex over the years. If anything, it had become even blander as Gerald worked more and more hours.
He picked up the remote and leaned back against the couch. “That was nice, baby,” he said. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders reflexively.
“Yeah,” she mumbled. She grabbed the half-empty bag of potato chips she’d been snacking on before his arrival and watched the tube for a few minutes while he flipped channels. Why the heck did he do that all the time? It was so damn aggravating. You would think he had ADD or something. After several minutes of flipping, Gerald settled on something cheesy and violent, something she would never watch. Then Lenora heard it.
“Zzzzz.”
She looked into his face. He had dozed off, mouth hanging open. How predictable, she thought. She sighed and nudged him with her elbow.
He awoke with a start. “Huh?”
“Are you really that tired?” she asked, not sweetly.
“Guess so. Tough times at work.”
He closed his eyes again and she leaned up on one elbow and poked him in the ribs.
“Hey, c’mon,” he said. He lightly slapped her hand away, but the more he brushed it away, the harder she poked until finally he was wide awake. “Okay, okay, I’m up. You happy?” He rubbed his face and sat up.
“If you’re that sleepy,” she said, “Why don’t you go and get in the bed? I’m going to go get the food started.”
“We’re not going to Iron Bridge later?” he asked, yawning widely.
“No, I couldn’t get reservations this late so I got the stuff to fix pasta here.”
“That’s just as well, ’cause I’m tired as hell.” He reached for the remote control and flipped the television to a different channel.
She placed the chips on the coffee table, sighed deeply, and stood. He glanced up at her as she yanked her cutoffs over her hips and slipped into her sandals.
“What’s wrong with you?” he asked.
“Nothing.”
“You sure? You seem agitated.”
She walked to his side of the couch, placed her hands firmly on her hips, and glared down at him. “Oh, so you noticed? Well, what do you expect? I haven’t seen you for several days. You hardly ever even call me anymore. Then you waltz in, fuck me for all of five minutes, and doze off. You used to talk to me nonstop. You used to want to screw me nonstop. Now all you do is snore in my ear. Hell yeah, I’m agitated!”
“Damn! Where is this coming from?”
She realized her voice had climbed to a shriek during her outburst, but she needed to air this out. “Is that all you have to say
?”
“It’s been a rough couple of weeks,” he added. “When I come here to be with you, I just want to chill. I thought that was what you wanted. But if you want to talk, let’s talk.” He switched the remote control off and patted the couch next to him. She ignored the hint.
“We used to get it on for an hour, sometimes even longer,” she said. “Now I get ten minutes if I’m lucky.”
He cocked his head and folded his arms tightly across his chest. She could see that his mood had shifted. She knew that it was dangerous to criticize a man’s virility, but maybe she was finally reaching him.
“You’re forty years old, Gerald,” she added, her tone a bit softer. “Maybe you need some, you know, help.”
His eyes narrowed. “Help?”
“Yeah. You ever think about getting a prescription for Viagra or something?”
“Viagra? Hell, no!”
“Why not?” she said. “It might be good for us.”
“So I’m not twenty-five years old anymore,” he said. “Or thirty-five, for that matter. But forty isn’t exactly over the hill. I do fine for my age.”
She knew better than to push a man too much about these things. “If you say so.”
“Maybe it would help if you lost some of that weight you’ve been putting on lately,” Gerald said. “Thought you were on a diet, but look at this.” He pointed to the bag of chips on the coffee table.
Lenora gulped and sucked her gut inward. So he had noticed. She wasn’t fooling anybody with the baggy clothes and keeping her top on during their lovemaking. “You saying you don’t find me attractive anymore? Is that it?”
“I still find you attractive for now. But if you keep piling on the pounds, that might change.”
Lenora wanted to melt into the floor. There was no worse feeling than having your man scold you about being too fat.
Gerald stood. “I’m going to go grab a beer,” he said, as if he hadn’t just hurled a whopping insult at her. “Can I get you a glass of Baileys?” he asked.
Money Can't Buy Love Page 6
