“Brandon, Carmella and I have been friends since elementary school. We grew up playing on the monkey bars and sliding board. They are like a brother and sister to me. Sure, when we were in high school and our hormones were all raging, there were those moments when Brandon and I considered dating. Brandon probably considered Carmella as well, but nothing ever happened. We figured it out all those years ago. We are family; that’s it. And, as far as your other insinuation about Carmella and me and anything sexual, I can’t even wrap my head around that. I’m straight. Carmella’s straight. It’s too bizarre to even consider. I don’t understand how you could know anything at all about me and still believe that any of the things you alluded to could actually be true.”
His shoulders slumped and his body a far cry from his usual upright stature, Neal appeared more subdued than she had ever seen him. Suddenly, he buried his face in his hands and he started to cry. Damita couldn’t bear to see him in such pain. She didn’t think she had ever seen anything more painful in her life. As close as she had been to her father, she didn’t think she had ever seen him cry. It was difficult enough seeing someone she loved in that much pain, but there was something about seeing a man cry that elicited such sympathy. She walked closer to him and wrapped her arms around him, to which he sobbed even more uncontrollably.
“I’m so sorry, Damita. I swear to you, it will never happen again.”
Damita wanted more than anything to believe him. However, nagging deep down in her gut was the realization that a person’s true nature seldom changed. What she needed to know more than anything was what Neal’s true nature was? Was he the kind and gallant gentlemen who always opened her car door, would never allow her to pick up the check and who got down on one knee to propose; or was he the violent man full of rage that had not only hit her, but had lied to the police about it in order to protect his own skin?
“You know what I would love to do?” Damita suddenly asked.
“What, baby?”
“Remember those lazy Sunday afternoons when we first started dating, when we would order in, and laze around all day doing the crossword puzzle together, in our pajamas?”
“Yeah, I remember. Those were good times,” Neal agreed.
“Well, since we’re not going to Jamaica, we’ve got a week of no work, no family and no friends to interrupt us. We can use the time to get back to where we were.”
“Baby, I love the way that sounds.”
Neal reached for Damita and this time she didn’t jump. They kissed one another passionately and Neal couldn’t help but be aroused. Despite Damita’s desire to begin anew, she soon realized that forgetting wasn’t quite as easy as forgiving. As she became aware of Neal’s burgeoning erection, she wondered how she would handle her lack of sexual desire for him. For her it was new territory. Since they had been together all she had ever wanted to do was make love. Now, when he touched her, she couldn’t help but picture him hitting her. The memory was indelibly etched in her brain.
“How about we get a juicy burger from Jackson Hole?” Damita asked, shifting gears.
She hoped she hadn’t noticed her hasty retreat. She really did want their marriage to work but there were still scars left to heal, both physically and emotionally.
Both that night and the next day Neal attempted to get physically intimate with Damita and she was disinterested. It was clear to both of them that eventually the tension was going to build.
“I was thinking we’d go out for dinner tonight,” Neal said.
“That sounds good to me. I hope we don’t run into someone we know.”
“I doubt we will. I have someplace special in mind.”
After they had both showered and changed and Neal was standing in front of her in his tailor-made navy blue suit, she suddenly remembered what a sexy man he was. She was attracted to him all over again. The classic fresh scent of Dolce and Gabbana Masculine against his skin, played with her senses. She considered joking with him that he was definitely going to get lucky tonight, but kept her thoughts to herself.
Once outside, a luxury sedan was waiting at the curb to take them to dinner.
“Your chariot awaits, wife.”
“Thank you, husband,” Damita responded playfully.
Neal opened the car door for her as he always did. Damita slid over and waited for Neal to join her. The closeness of him brought back so many pleasant memories she had come close to forgetting.
“You smell incredible,” she whispered into his ear.
Their troubles forgotten, the ride into Midtown Manhattan was like old times. They laughed and talked about their plans for the future. Within twenty minutes they arrived. They were in Rockefeller Center. Damita knew exactly where they were going. Neal’s choice for dinner could not have been more perfect. They would be dining at The Sea Grill; the same restaurant where he had proposed.
Damita got out of the car and looked around Rockefeller Center, smiling broadly. Despite their recent troubles, her pleasant memories of their relationship had survived. Once inside the restaurant those memories came flooding back even stronger.
As Neal removed Damita’s jacket, she realized why it was that he affected her the way no other man ever had. In so many ways he was a throwback from another time. As far as she was concerned the age of feminism brought with it the loss of so much of what made it so wonderful to be a woman. There was a time when it was commonplace for a man to open a door for a lady, to help her with her coat or even stand when a woman entered the room. Neal was only thirty-seven years old, but somehow he was a gentleman in ways that had been long lost to most men his age. She wondered if it was because of this that he hit her or in spite of it.
Deep in thought, Damita’s blank stare alerted Neal to the fact that she was distracted.
“Where did you go just now?” Neal asked.
“Huh?”
“You were thousands of miles away.”
“No, I’m not. I’m right here. I was thinking of all the reasons I love you.”
Neal gazed into her eyes and kissed her. “I love you, too.”
The maître d’ seated Neal and Damita at their table.
“You are so beautiful,” Neal said, once they were seated.
Watching him look at her with such love in his eyes, no one would ever believe that a few days earlier he had hit her on their wedding night. Even she had difficulty believing it had happened.
“We’d like two glasses of Chardonnay, please. We’ll start with the Sea Grill Chowder,” Neal informed the waiter.
“And your main course, sir?”
“I’ll have the Casco Bay Cod A La Plancha and the lady will have the Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes.”
Damita smiled. “That’s the exact same thing we had the night you proposed. I can’t believe you remembered.”
“Of course I remember. You have no idea how much I wanted that night to be perfect. I planned everything down to the last detail.”
“Thank you, Neal. It was perfect. It was a night I’ll never forget. Something tells me this night will be, too.”
Two tables away from Neal and Damita there was a couple with a little girl, who looked to be three or four years old.
Neal said, “She reminds me of you, angel; what you must have looked like when you were that age. I wish I had known you then.”
Damita smiled. “I wish we had known each other then, too.”
“Is there any chance that will ever be us? You would be an incredible mother.”
“It sounds crazy, but I’ve never really thought that much about it until you told me how much you’d like to have children. I listen to all my girlfriends agonizing over their biological clock and I still don’t get it. I should at this point, since I’m already thirty-five years old, but it’s never been a huge priority for me.”
“Are you serious? I would love to have a baby with you.”
Damita was happy to see the waiter return with the dessert menu, so that they could abandon the topic of having babies.
“I know exactly what I want! I’ll have the Granny Smith Apple Soufflé, Roasted Apple Ice Cream and Caramel Bits.”
Neal said, “Exactly what we had that night.”
CHAPTER FOUR
The car was waiting outside for them when they left the restaurant. Damita and Neal couldn’t keep their hands off each other. Neal started at Damita’s neck and nibbled his way down to her nipples. He wanted to rip the dress from her body and enter her immediately. He was hungry for her. His wet tongue traced a circle outside her dress, around her areola, enflaming her. Her hard nipples strained at the silk, eager to be free. He slipped his hand under her dress and inside her panties and sighed outwardly when he was greeted with her wetness. Once his fingers were inside of her, she gasped and began to grind herself onto his hand. He so wanted to be inside of her. He knew that these were the kind of moments that should never be interrupted. He removed his hand and Damita moaned. His fingers were soon inside her mouth and she sucked each one hungrily. Before exiting the car, Neal guided Damita’s hand inside of her own panties.
“Keep it wet for me, baby, okay?”
“What? Where are you going?”
“Driver, could you pull over here?”
“Of course, sir; will this be the final stop?”
“Can I talk to you for a minute?” Neal replied.
Damita saw the driver get out of the car and walk over to the front passenger side where Neal was standing. She then saw Neal hand the driver some cash. He took the cash and walked away from the car.
Neal opened the car door and helped Damita out. He quickly backed her up against the back door, biting and sucking at her nipples voraciously, gripping tightly to her ass.
“Neal, what about—”
“Don’t worry. It’s only you and me here; no one else.”
At first Damita was afraid of being seen, but eventually she forgot all about it and gave into Neal’s hunger. Despite the chill of the night air, his hand under her dress was warm and inviting. She spread her legs and let him in. The sensation of him toying with her clit out in the open, where anyone might see, actually began to excite her. Neal then lifted her up, cradling her body in his arms and spread her out on the hood of the car, pushed her dress up and removed her panties. He entered her without ceremony and she came almost immediately, moaning and meeting his thrusts with her own.
“My God, baby, you’re so wet. I knew you still wanted me. It was only a matter of time. You belong to me. This is mine and only mine.”
As she tightened around him, it was more than he could stand and Neal could no longer restrain himself. He came inside of her with such force his legs were like jelly by the time he was done, as he attempted to stand. Damita still lay shivering on top of the car. She wasn’t sure if it were the cold of the metal against her nakedness or the multiple orgasms she had experienced.
Once he was standing strongly on both legs, he reached out his hand to Damita and helped her off of the car.
“Come on, angel, let’s go home.”
“But what about the car?” she asked.
“No worries. I gave the driver a thousand dollars and told him to pick the car up later. That will more than make up for any money he lost tonight.”
Neal fixed his pants and opened the front passenger door for Damita to get in and he drove them home.
As he drove, Damita dozed in the passenger seat next to him. He looked over at her and it occurred to him that no matter how independent a woman thought she was, all it took was a real man to keep her in line. He knew it and Damita would know it soon enough. It would take some time but eventually she would recognize who wore the pants in their family. The mere thought of his own family were enough to fill him with excitement. She didn’t know she wanted to be a mother yet, but he would convince her and if that wasn’t enough he would make it happen. He’d had enough experience to know that women were like children. They didn’t know what they really wanted until they had a man there to show them.
Damita woke up just as they were pulling up in front of their building.
“Hey, sleepy head,” he said.
“Hey.”
“I’ll be up in a minute. Wait for me?”
“I’ll try. I’m just so tired.”
Once Damita was inside the building, Neal got out of the car.
“Alpha Phi Alpha for life!”
Neal turned to find his frat brother, Michael, standing behind him.
“What’s up, man?” Neal asked.
“I should be asking you that question. You seem to still be up to your same old tricks. Who was that nice, hot piece of ass you were drilling? Does the wife know and more importantly, when do I get my turn?”
Neal sneered at his frat brother. “Watch your mouth, man. That was my wife.”
Grinning from ear-to-ear, Michael extended his hand to give Neal a pound.
“Damn, my man; you gonna leave me hanging? How did those pills work out for you?”
“We’ll see.”
“Here are your keys,” Neal said, handing him the car keys.
“You’re lucky we got history. I don’t drive folks around anymore. This is my company now. I’ve got a fleet of vehicles and drivers to match.”
“Yeah, I know; or have you forgotten who helped finance your little venture?”
“You won’t let me forget,” Michael said under his breath.
“Excuse me?”
“I tried to pay you back—with interest–and you didn’t want it back, but every time I turn around you want a favor.”
“Maybe you should have sold me a stake in the company like I asked and we’d be through with one another,” Neal reminded him.
Neal looked at Michael menacingly. “You will continue to do whatever I tell you to do or have you forgotten that little mishap you were a part of in college?”
Michael lowered his head. “No, I haven’t forgotten. You won’t let me forget.”
“I’m sure the young lady hasn’t forgotten either; she’ll have to live with that for the rest of her life. We all have to live with the decisions we make, Michael. Now it’s your turn to live with yours.”
Michael stomped off, got into his car and drove away, while Neal stood at the curb laughing.
“Some people refuse to take responsibility for their actions,” Neal said aloud.
Once inside the building, he looked at his watch, hoping that the effects of the Valium he had slipped into her wine earlier had not worn off. He was also looking forward to some sex without a whole lot of thinking involved.
By the time he got in the apartment she was sprawled across the sofa with her shoes still on.
“I spend ten thousand dollars on a fucking sofa and she puts her damn shoes on it,” he muttered to himself.
He picked Damita up, and carried her into the bedroom. He laid her out on their king-size platform bed and removed all of her clothing, including the shoes. He tried to wake her, but put very little effort into it. When it was clear she was not waking up, he spread her legs and unceremoniously shoved himself inside of her. She stirred and opened her eyes and he continued to pump away inside of her until he was done. He rolled off her and went to sleep. Confused and feeling overwhelmingly tired, Damita assumed she had fallen asleep while they were having sex. Within a matter of minutes, she too was asleep.
Damita slept better that night than she had all week. It was a sleep of contentedness. She allowed herself to believe that what happened on their wedding night was nothing more than a momentary bump in the road. If she didn’t allow herself to believe that, she would never have a restful night of sleep ever again.
Neal was already gone when she woke up the next morning. She assumed it had something to do with the car they borrowed the night before. She lay in bed reliving the night. Their lovemaking had always been intense, but there was something about last night that she sensed was different.
“I’m back.”
By the time Neal returned she was in the kitchen making breakfast.
“Is that bacon I smell?”
“Yes.”
“You know I don’t eat that stuff,” he said.
“You can have some of the scrambled eggs then and maybe some toast?”
“I’d rather have mine poached. A trough of scrambled eggs laden in butter is the last thing I need.”
“So what’s this obsession about your body all of a sudden? You’re in great shape. You have been since I met you.”
“To keep the body in good health is a duty. Otherwise, we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.”
“Buddha?”
“Yes.”
“Poached it is.”
Damita noticed Neal was suddenly sullen once again. She wasn’t sure why, especially given their spectacular night.
“Baby, is everything okay?” she asked.
“Everything is fine. You were moaning and talking in your sleep last night. What were you dreaming about?”
“I was talking in my sleep?” Damita asked.
“Yes, you were.”
“If I was moaning, it’s probably because I was thinking about you.”
“Is that so?”
“Neal, baby, what’s wrong?”
“What makes you think there’s something wrong?”
Damita watched him cautiously, sensing his irritation.
“Well, for one thing, you keep answering my questions with questions. I don’t understand. You seem angry. I thought we had such a good time together last night, but now you seem like you’re annoyed again.”
“You’re never going to let me forget, are you?”
“I thought we were past this. I thought after last night we could finally move past all of this; begin fresh.”
“Undoubtedly we can’t. Last night I listened to you. You didn’t sound like a woman that was beginning fresh. You sounded more like a woman who was livid. You were fighting with someone while you slept.”
On the Other Side Page 4
