by Anna Black
“No, it makes it worse because my wife thinks I’m sleeping with you.”
“Fine, then, pay for a hotel,” she said, giving him a playful shove. “At least let me cook dinner for you tonight. Can you at least come by for some grub? I’ll invite Leslie and Trey. We can make some mixed cocktails and have a little fun. You know, just give you a stress break, and then you can go back to your situation with Leila tomorrow.” She smiled and nudged his arm.
“Yeah, I’ll come by for a meal and to hang for a minute. I do need a stress break,” he agreed.
After they finished the workout, they were headed toward the door so that Ray could walk her to her car when Leila walked in with the baby in her arms.
“Hey,” Leila said.
“Hey,” Rayshon said. There was a slight tremor in his voice. “You remember Karen?”
“Yes. What is she doing here?”
Karen put a hand on one hip. “I’m a client,” she said with an edge to her voice.
“Oh, are you?” Leila raised an eyebrow. “I hope you are paying in cash and not in ass.”
“Leila!” Ray gasped.
“It’s okay, Ray,” Karen said. She looked at Leila. “You have a nice day, and, Ray, I’ll see you later.”
“No, you won’t, you tramp!” Leila yelled behind her.
* * *
Ray looked at Leila as if she were crazy. “Leila, what the hell was that?”
“Rayshon, that trick is one of your clients? Why didn’t you tell me she was a client?”
“Come on, Leila, let’s go into my office,” he said.
She followed him in, and he shut the door. “Why didn’t you tell me that . . . that . . . whore was one of your clients?”
“Because it’s no big deal.”
“Like hell. I want you to stop being her personal trainer.”
“Leila, you know I can’t do that. We have a contract.”
“Damn the contract, Rayshon. You cannot continue to be her PT after you have fucked her, especially if you and I are planning on working it out.”
“Wait. First, for the last time, I didn’t sleep with that woman. I went out with her after I moved out, yes. I had kissed her, yes, when I was pissed at you, but that’s over. I am not seeing her, nor am I screwing her. She’s a client and a friend. And who said we were getting back together?”
“Well, I thought you were considering it. You told me you still love me, Ray, and that has to stand for something. Are you sure you just want to walk away from our marriage?”
“I don’t know what I want right now, Leila. I need time to figure it out.”
“Ray, please, believe me. I’ve never slept with Devon while we were married. Nothing happened. The day I caught you with Karen, he kissed me, and I stopped him and told him that he and I were over and will never be again. I told him that I loved you, and I only wanted you, and he understood that. He has moved on, and he’s marrying Christa. When you left, Devon and I didn’t get together. I don’t want to lose you over something that never happened.”
“Leila, I believe you. It’s just I don’t know if I want to be in a marriage with a woman who is not willing to put some distance between her and her ex-husband. I mean, some of the shit Devon and you used to do and how you guys carried on was just too much, and I don’t want to go through that again.”
“You won’t, Rayshon. Please come home. We miss you. The kids miss you, and we need you,” she pleaded.
“Just give me a little more time, Leila. I believe that you have never slept with Devon, but some things still need to be ironed out, and I need to make sure that I can handle this so-called friendship that you and Devon have.”
Leila didn’t say anything right away; she just looked at him. “You know what, Rayshon? Take all the time you need. I won’t bother you anymore about us. And if you wanna keep Karen as a client, fine. Do what you want, because Devon was the absolute last man that I will ever beg to stay or be with me. I am woman enough to admit that Devon and I were uncomfortably close, but I’ve never slept with him, Rayshon, and I don’t believe for a damn second that I can say the same about you and Karen,” she said and walked out, slamming the door hard as hell.
Chapter Twenty-three
The knock on the door made Karen jump. She had been daydreaming about getting married to Rayshon. She fantasized about him more and more now that they had been hanging out as so-called friends. Her inner voice told her it was fate that Rayshon’s marriage became rocky after the two of them reunited. She knew that was a sure sign that they were meant to be together. This nonsense about going back to Leila wasn’t going to happen. She was going to use every angle she had to persuade him to reconsider his decision to go back to her.
After almost six years of fantasizing and yearning for him, she wasn’t going to miss her opportunity to have him finally. She took her time dressing, making herself as beautiful as she possibly could, putting on the sexiest dress she owned. She would not fail in her mission to take him from Leila. She had her plans all mapped out, and she wasn’t going to let him leave without getting him into her bed.
She hurried to answer the door and was happy to see him.
“Hey, Ray. Come on in,” she said. He stepped in and took off his coat. “Let me get that for you,” she offered. She hung it in the coat closet by the door.
“Thanks, Karen. The food smells good. I hope you can cook,” he joked.
“Of course, I can cook. I’m more than just a pretty face, you know,” she teased.
“Well, I guess we’ll see in a second, huh? Where are Leslie and Trey?” he asked and followed her into the kitchen.
“Well, Leslie ended up working a double at the hospital, but I still have all the ingredients to make us some slamming Long Islands, and I made my five-cheese lasagna,” she said and took it out of the oven. “You can sit there, and I’ll get our plates.”
“Okay, let me hit the bathroom. I wanna wash my hands.”
“Sure. You know where it is,” she told him.
While he was in the bathroom, she made them two perfect drinks, put a large square of lasagna on their plates, and grabbed the salad from the fridge.
She wanted him so badly she was trembling. She wasn’t going to miss this opportunity to have him. When he walked back into the kitchen, she handed him a glass.
“Thanks.” He took a sip. “Wow, this is strong,” he said but took another sip.
“What’s a matter? Can’t you handle a Long Island? I only make them strong,” she teased and watched him take another sip.
“Oh, I can handle anything, Ms. Karen.”
They sat down and ate. “Wow, Karen,” he said when they were finished, “that was delicious. And these Long Islands got me feeling good.”
Karen took their dishes to the sink and began washing them. “Would you like another one?”
“Yes. Don’t mind if I do,” he said, standing and walking up behind her. “Thank you, Karen, for being such a good friend. I needed this for real. I had so much on my mind, but I feel so relaxed now, and it’s because of you.” He kissed her neck. “I’m going to head into the living room. Do you need any help?” He slurred a little.
“Naw, I can handle these dishes. Are you sure you want another drink?”
“Only if you make it as good as the last one,” he said and went to sit on the sofa. She brought it to him, and he took a couple of sips. “Damn, girl, it’s a li’l warm in here. Do you mind if I take off my sweater?”
“No, not at all.” She watched him pull his sweater over his head, leaving him wearing a black tank that showed off his perfectly sculpted shoulders. She smiled. “Damn, I’m feeling too nice, and you, Karen, are wearing that dress,” he said.
She blushed. “You like?” She stood and twirled.
“Hey, you know you’re beautiful.” Ray put his half-empty glass on the coffee table.
* * *
He was feeling really nice, a little too nice, so he decided to slow down. He still had to driv
e. He let his head fall back onto the couch even though something was telling him he should go. He felt a little strange.
Karen sat next to him. “So, do you think I’m sexy?”
“Of course.”
She blushed.
They started talking about what would have been if they had stayed together, and Ray finished what was in his glass. He assured Karen again that it wasn’t anything she had done that had made him choose Leila.
He told her that it was just bad timing. They talked for what seemed like forever to him, and after a while, he knew he needed to leave before he was unable to move. He figured he could sleep in his car if he had to. He had never felt like this before.
“Hey, Karen . . . I’m gon’ need to . . . need to . . . chill for a sec. Till I sober up,” he slurred. Walking to his car wasn’t possible.
He lay back and felt Karen straddle and kiss him. He didn’t refuse her. He couldn’t. A few moments later, she was helping him off the couch. He staggered, barely able to walk straight, and she led him to her room. He flopped down on her bed and felt her remove his tank before he fell on his back. The room was spinning. In a haze, he wondered how he had gotten this drunk.
“Let me help you with these,” Karen said. She sounded far away.
* * *
Karen unbuckled Ray’s jeans. She removed his shoes and pulled his pants off. He was too far gone to resist. Then she removed his boxers, climbed on top of him, and pushed her tongue into his mouth. He was finally in her bed. She put her tits in his face.
“Kaaarrreeennn, I . . . I . . . I . . . can’t—”
“Shhh, don’t worry, baby, I got this. Just lie here and let me make you feel good,” she said and kissed him again.
She grinded her body on his and kissed her way down to his dick. She rolled her tongue over his head, and even though he was not at full attention she ground her center on him. She moaned, bringing herself to an orgasm and collapsed on top of him with a smile.
He was still sleeping when his phone rang later. Karen picked it up and looked at it. She smiled when she saw it was Leila. It stopped ringing and then began to ring again.
“Ray,” she said and shook him. He didn’t move. It rang once more, and she resisted the urge to answer it. She held his phone for several moments, and then it rang in her hand again. This time, she answered.
“Hello,” she said with a grin.
“Hello?”
“Yes, Leila?” Karen said.
“Karen?” she shrieked.
“Yes, Leila, this is Karen.”
“Where is Rayshon?”
“He’s asleep.” Karen got up and walked out of her bedroom.
“Why are you answering my husband’s fucking phone?”
“Because Ray is sleeping. If something is wrong with one of his kids, I can wake him.”
“Wake him any-damn-way,” Leila spat.
“Is something wrong with one of his kids?”
“None of your damn business. Now, put my damn husband on the phone, trick,” Leila snapped.
“Look, he’s sleeping peacefully. In the morning, I’ll let him know you called,” Karen said and hung up.
She held the phone and looked at it as Leila called back at least fifty times and texted just as many times before giving up.
When the calls stopped, she put his phone on the nightstand on his side of the bed. Then she walked around to her side and eased under the covers. She smiled, rested her head on his chest, and drifted off to sleep.
Chapter Twenty-four
The next morning, his ringing phone woke Ray from a deep sleep. By the time he could focus, it stopped. He looked around, trying to figure out where the hell he was. He sat up, realizing he was in Karen’s room and wondered how the hell he had gotten there. When he looked down and saw his nakedness, his eyes almost jumped out of his head, and his heart started to race. He remembered coming over for dinner the night before.
“Oh shit . . . Oh shit.” In a panic, he looked around for his clothes.
Karen walked in with a tray of food. “Good morning, baby. How did you sleep?” She walked over and kissed him on the chest. “I made you some breakfast,” she said and set the tray on the nightstand.
Confused, he said, “Karen, I’m trippin’, right?”
“What do you mean?”
“Last night—”
She cut him off. “Last night? Oh, last night was—”
“What?” He hoped he was just naked and that nothing had happened.
“Amazing,” she gushed.
Ray wanted to cry. “Okay, wait. I don’t remember anything. How many drinks did I have?”
“I don’t know. After four, we stopped counting.”
His heart raced out of control, and he thought he’d collapse.
“Listen,” Karen continued, “I had an amazing time last night, and the answer is yes.”
“Yes, what? What was the question?”
“Come on, Ray. Don’t tell me you forgot what you asked me.” She took a seat on the bed.
She was grinning so hard he decided to sit for what she was about to say. “Yes, Karen. Really, I have no clue what I asked you.”
“You asked me if you could have another chance,” she announced. “We talked about what we would have had if we would have gotten together, and you said you realized that I should have been the one. You said you were done with Leila, and you were not going to go back to her and be played again. You told me that you wanted to give our thing a try. You went on and on about me being beautiful, and then you asked if I would let you have another chance. After that, we made love.”
Ray started to shake. “Whoa, Karen, wait. I’m sorry, but I don’t remember any of that.”
“Well, what do you want me to say, Rayshon? You told me that you were going to leave Leila.” Her eyes teared up. “Why would you say all those things to me if you didn’t mean it?” she cried. Ray felt awful. “You had no problem hopping into my bed last night, and now, you come at me with this I was drunk and don’t remember?”
Ray didn’t know what to say. He didn’t remember the night before or what he had said.
“Listen, Karen, I’m sorry. I was drunk as hell, and I don’t remember. I don’t . . . know, but I am sorry, Karen. I’m not sure where my mind was when I said those things.”
“Maybe on getting some pussy,” she spat and got up.
“Karen, no. Don’t say that. You know me better than that. I wouldn’t use you or manipulate you for sex.”
“And you are going to sit here and look me in my eyes and tell me that you don’t remember last night?”
“Yes, I’m telling you the truth. I don’t remember. It’s like a blur. I think I remember kissing you and us coming to the bed, and you were on top—” He paused, flashes of the previous night coming to him. They were vague but clear enough. “Oh shit, Karen. I’m sorry.” He swallowed hard. He remembered them kissing. He remembered sucking her breasts and her kissing him down to his dick. He remembered her tits in his face and images of her riding him. He put a hand over his face. He hadn’t meant to sleep with her. “Did we use a condom?” he asked, afraid of the answer.
“No, we were in the moment,” she said.
Ray had to blink back tears. All he could think was the worst. “Bathroom,” he said. “Where is your bathroom?” he asked as if he never been in her bathroom before. She pointed at a door, and he got up and looked around. “Where are my boxers and my clothes?” She pointed at the chair.
Ray grabbed his boxers and went into the bathroom. He relieved his bladder and looked at his reflection. He wanted to punch the mirror. He turned on the faucet and splashed cold water on his face. Then he rushed over to the toilet and vomited. He didn’t know if it was because he was hungover or if it was it from the pure disgust at what he had done.
How was he going to tell Leila he slept with Karen? How was he going to be able to work out his marriage after just having unprotected sex? He grabbed the bottle of mouthwash t
hat sat on her vanity and gargled. He rinsed his mouth and snatched a paper towel from the roll and dried his face and mouth. He didn’t want to go back and face Karen, not after what went down. He didn’t have any feelings for her. He liked her as a person but not romantically, and now he was put in a position to ditch her again.
He took a deep breath and went back into her room. She was sitting on her bed, looking like she had just lost her best friend.
“Karen—”
She stopped him. “You don’t have to say anything, Ray. Just get your stuff and go. I’ve been down this road with you before, and I know how it’s going to play out.”
She was right, and he didn’t feel good about what he was about to say, but he had to say it anyway.
“Karen, I am so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you or take advantage of you or use you. What happened last night, I will take full responsibility for my actions, but I can’t see you anymore. I have a wife and three kids, and I love them. I want to be with them. You and I can’t see each anymore, not even as friends, and I can’t be your trainer.” He watched tears run down her cheeks, and he felt horrible. He started to dress.
“It’s fine, Ray, I get it,” she cried. “Oh, last night, after you said all those wonderful things that you say you don’t remember, and after we . . .” She paused, wiped away a tear, and continued, “Leila called your phone, and I tried to wake you, but you wouldn’t wake up. When she called again, I thought something might be wrong with one of the kids, so I answered.”
“You did what?” he yelled, now mad.
“Don’t yell at me. I thought you wanted to be with me. I didn’t know that you’d wake up today with amnesia!” She stormed out of the room and ran into her bathroom, slamming the door.
Ray finished dressing, and before he went to leave, he tapped on the bathroom door.
“Just go, Rayshon,” she yelled through the door. “Get out.”
Ray grabbed his phone, went to the closet, got his coat, and then left.
Chapter Twenty-five
When Ray pulled up to his house, he was terrified. How was he going to explain Karen answering his phone? And on top of that, how was he going to tell Leila he slept with her? His hands shook. He was scared that Leila was going to send him packing. She just told him to shut it down with Karen, and he had refused.