by Anna Black
Chapter Forty
“Hey, Ray,” she said nervously.
“Kat, what’s going on?” he asked, surprised to see her.
“I know this is weird, but can we talk?” she said in a serious manner.
“Yeah, sure, what’s up?” he asked.
“It’s kinda private. Can we talk in your office?”
He wanted to say no, but he got the sense that she was not there to ask him about hooking up, so he told her to follow him. They went into his office, and he hesitated, but he closed the door anyway.
“Have a seat,” he said, and she sat down. “So, what’s up?” he asked when he took a seat at his desk, and she cleared her throat.
“Ummm, Ray, I know this may not be my place, but yesterday, I overheard something that I think you should know,” she began, and he leaned forward on his desk.
“What? What is it? You sound so serious.”
“Well, I went by the hospital yesterday to meet Cordell for lunch, and when I was sitting in the cafeteria waiting, I saw Karen. I mean, I think I saw Karen.”
“You know Karen?”
“No, I don’t know her, but a woman was sitting next to me with a baby boy, and she met with a friend and talked about how happy she was for pulling off her ‘plan.’”
“Pulling what off? I don’t follow.”
“She said how she got the test results back and how she was going to make Rayshon her man and make Leila’s life a living hell, and I only know one Rayshon and one Leila,” she said, and he was still lost. He knew Karen wanted him and thought she was going to get him eventually, and he also knew she hated Leila.
“Okay,” he said and waited for her to give him more information.
“Well, I also heard her say that you were a match because she swabbed your son when he broke his arm, and that’s the swab she gave the lab, and that’s why it came back a match,” she said . . . and Ray’s mouth dropped.
“You’re kidding me, right?” he said, blinking a hundred times a second.
“I wish I were. She was talking to someone named Leslie, and she mentioned the Versed, and Karen told her she would tell the hospital that Leslie took the Versed for her. It turns out she has some dirt on her friend taking pills from the hospital for her addiction, and she threatened to expose her. The fear in Leslie’s eyes was serious,” she said. Rayshon was speechless.
“I’ll be damned. This bitch not only drugged me, but she swabbed RJ months before the pregnancy, Katrina. How is that possible?” Ray asked, confused.
“I knew you’d ask that question, so I asked Cordell, and he explained that DNA could live for years, and she probably stored the swab in a safe place, and that’s how she used it,” Katrina explained. Ray wanted to shout. He was relieved but angry as hell.
“Do you know what kinda hell Karen has put my wife and me through? Thank God I never introduced that little boy to my kids. They’d be crazy confused. God, I’m so happy. Leila and I did a test on our own,” he informed her.
“So, you did do another test? That’s great because I asked Cordell if he’d run another one for you, and he would have done it for you, Ray, because I overheard something more,” she said.
“What?” he asked, and Katrina was hesitant in her response.
“Well, according to Leslie, y’all never even had sex. She said that you couldn’t even get an erection on Versed, and she told Karen that she would tell you that y’all never had sex. That’s when Karen turned into psycho Karen, and Leslie ran off,” she said, telling Ray everything. He was in total disbelief. He had been had, and he couldn’t believe his ears.
He sat there for a few moments to gather his thoughts because he was so dumbfounded from what he had just heard.
“Thanks, Kat,” was all he could say after hearing everything she said.
“So, what are you going to do in the meantime?”
“Play her game and humiliate her in a public place. I want to bring the same shame to her that she brought to my wife and me,” he said, and Katrina understood.
“Well, Ray, you don’t know how sorry I am, and I hated to have to tell you, but I couldn’t keep something like that from you,” she said and got up.
“Thanks, Kat. After all we’ve been through, I would have never thought we’d see a day like this,” he said, and she extended her hand, but he hugged her.
“You’re welcome, Ray, and I know I told Leila I was sorry, but I never told you. I’m truly sorry for the foul and crazy shit I did to you back then,” she said, and he squeezed her a little tighter.
“Apology accepted,” he said, and then he let her go. She left, and he couldn’t wait to get home and tell Leila.
Chapter Forty-one
Rayshon and Leila left Dr. Bryce’s office with the real results in hand. Rayshon was not the father of Karen’s baby, and he couldn’t believe something so crazy had actually happened to him. He couldn’t comprehend how he could attract crazy-ass women. First, he went through it with Katrina, but thank God she was now off the crazy list and now, Karen. For Shon’s sake, Rayshon hoped that Karen got some help.
“So, how do you want to do this?” Leila asked.
“Well, I was thinking I’d have a big party in my honor to celebrate how stupid I was for believing her and hurting my family and spring it on her during my, ‘I’m so stupid, I let a stalker like Karen make a big-ass fool outta me,’ speech.”
“I was thinking something bigger, something grander,” she said, and Rayshon wanted to know what she had in mind. When she said what she thought would be a better idea, Ray was shocked.
“Lei, are you serious?”
“Dead serious,” she said, and Ray knew that a woman with vengeance on her mind could be deadly.
“I don’t know, babe, she may get suspicious,” he said, thinking the plan was perfect but thought Karen was too smart to go for it.
“Trust me, baby, she’s going to go for it. All she ever wanted was to have you, and trust, she’ll do anything to have you,” she said, and he nodded in agreement. He pulled into their garage, and they went inside to discuss the details of Leila’s master plan.
After they ate and did their regular routine, Ray grabbed his coat and keys and headed for the door to get their plan into motion. Leila kissed him and told him to make her believe him, and after he assured her he had it, she let him leave. He knocked on Karen’s door. She was surprised, but she let him in.
“Wow, Ray, what brings you by? Your son is already asleep,” she said, and he headed for the kitchen as if he lived there. He opened the cabinet and grabbed a glass, then went for the Crown Royal on the counter. She stood watching with a look of confusion on her face.
“Ice,” he said, and she went over and grabbed his glass and hit the automatic ice dispenser on the fridge, put a few cubes in, and handed him the glass.
“Ray, what’s wrong? What’s going on?” she asked again. She stood and watched his every move, trying to play it cool, but Rayshon could see the fear in her eyes, and how she tried to hide her nervousness as he swirled the drink around and took a swallow.
“You were right,” he said.
“Right about what?”
“Leila and I don’t have a chance because of Shon—and do you know that she had the nerve to tell me to choose between my son and her?” he said. By now, Karen looked confused.
“What happened, Rayshon? I don’t follow,” she said, and he added more to his drink.
“Can we sit?” he said like he was upset.
“Sure, baby, of course.”
“Well, you know the other day when we got Shon’s results?” he said.
“Yeah, go on.”
“When we got in the car, she started in on me saying that you fixed the results, and she knew you found a way to have the doctor change the results. I told her to give it a rest and that I was tired of her trying to make me deny my son, and that no one altered the test. I told her to accept the truth, and that upset her, of course. I’ve been on the couch si
nce that night, and tonight, I hung out a little bit after work with Mario, and when I walked in, she accused me of being out with you, fucking around. Even when I denied it, she called me a liar and told me to leave,” he said with his head down.
“Oh, Ray, I’m so sorry,” she said like she was concerned and genuinely sorry, but he knew damn well that the words that he uttered were music to her ears.
“It’s okay, Karen. It’s not your fault. I’m just glad that I see her true colors, and after everything, she had the nerve to ask me to choose between her and my son,” he said and swallowed more of his drink.
“That was selfish of her, Rayshon. I mean, I can’t stand her, but I thought she was better than that,” Karen stated. He could see she was trying so hard to hold back her excitement. The nervousness that she had shown had magically disappeared because her dreams were finally coming true.
“Yeah, me too,” he said and lay back on the sofa.
“Well, you know you can stay here with us, Ray. You don’t have to go. Shon and I would love to have you around,” she said, moving closer to him and took him by the hand.
“I know, Karen, that’s sweet of you to offer after how I’ve treated you,” he said, and she cut him off.
“No, Ray, it’s okay,” she said earnestly.
“I know, Karen, but I think it would be better if I stayed at Mario’s for a little while. At least until I can talk to my lawyer,” he said.
“Lawyer? Rayshon, what do you mean?”
“She asked me to choose, Karen. I can’t be with a woman that would ask me to choose between her and my kid. Come on now, as much as I love Leila, I love my damn kids more,” he said, and Karen nodded.
“Hey, I understand, Ray, and I’m sorry. I am happy to know that you love Shon as much as you love your other kids,” she expressed.
“Yes, I do, and I’m not going to let a woman come between my kids and me,” he said, and she offered him a refill. His mind went back to her spiked drink, so he quickly declined.
“Naw, I’m going to head to Mario’s,” he said, standing. “Can I look in on my son?” he asked, and she was beaming.
“Sure, go ahead,” she said, and he walked down the hall. When he looked in on the baby lying in his crib, Ray did feel a little bit of sadness, because regardless of everything, he did bond with the child, and Shon was an innocent baby, smack dead in the middle of his crazy-ass momma’s fantasy world.
He reached in and touched his little head and felt bad because when this was all over, he wouldn’t see him anymore. He exited the room and blinked back his tears. Then he headed for the door.
“You leaving?” she asked, approaching him by the door.
“Yeah, I’ll see you guys tomorrow,” he said and made his exit.
As soon as Ray got into his truck, he called Leila and said, “Plan in motion, baby. She went for it.”
* * *
Four nights later, Rayshon showed up again with movies and popcorn. She opened the door and jumped up and wrapped her arms around his neck. Karen was so happy because it was finally happening. She had to pinch herself yesterday when Ray showed up to the hospital to take her to lunch.
“Baby, I’m so happy to see you,” she said as he walked in.
“Really? I couldn’t tell,” he joked, and she slapped his arm.
“Come on in, boo. The baby is sleeping. Tonight is just for us,” she said, and Rayshon smiled.
“How long has he been asleep? I wanted to see my baby tonight. The last couple of nights, he’s been asleep, babe.”
“I know, Ray, but he was a little cranky, and I wanted to have a little grown-up time,” she said, approaching him seductively.
“Come on, baby, we have plenty of time for that. I just want to relax and watch some movies. My life is stressful enough with Leila in my ear with bullshit. I just want to go in the kitchen and fix me a drink and cuddle on the couch with you,” he said, and she smiled and batted her eyes.
“Okay, babe, understood. I’ll pop in the movie, and you go fix not only you but me a drink too, and we can chill on the sofa,” she said, and he went into the kitchen. He came back and put their drinks on the table, and he pulled out his phone.
“Baby, I thought tonight was all about us. Why you got the phone?”
“I just had to send a quick text to say good night to my kids so we won’t be disturbed.” After he put his phone away, they settled on the sofa and didn’t talk much as they watched the movie. A little before eleven, he got a phone call from Mario saying that his car wouldn’t start, so Ray had to go. Karen was sad, but he assured her that he’d be by the next night, and with that, she walked him to the door.
“So, tomorrow, right?” she asked and wrapped her arms around his neck. He grabbed her ass and gave her a little peck and agreed on seeing her the next day, and she let him leave. She was so happy when she shut the door. She just knew that they were on the road to be a perfect couple.
Chapter Forty-two
“Leila,” Rayshon called out when he got in the door.
“Up here,” she yelled over the banister, and he raced up the steps. He walked in, and she was getting dressed. He wanted to undress her. It had been two weeks since he had some because he was busy working on making Karen trust that they might have a chance to be together. He wanted this to be over because now, she was coming on to him strong, and he couldn’t keep her off him too much longer.
“Wow, it’s like you’re going on a date, not to confront Leslie,” he said because she was looking sexy as hell.
“Yea, well, once I show her the real results and tell her that I know she’s the one who stole the Versed and that I will report her if she doesn’t help us to bring Karen down, I will bring this sexiness home and do things to you that will make your toes curl.”
“Oh, well, you better get going,” he said, and she kissed him goodbye. When she arrived, she looked around and spotted Leslie at the bar, so she walked over to her.
“Leslie,” she said, and Leslie looked over her shoulder.
“Leila,” she said, and Leila sat. She signaled for the bartender and ordered a drink.
“So, did you have trouble finding this place?” she asked, making small talk.
“No, but I’m wondering why you wanted to meet with me,” Leslie said and took a sip of her drink.
“Well, it’s simple. I would like for you to secretly record your lying friend confessing about drugging my husband, swabbing my son, and trying to destroy my marriage,” she said, and Leslie almost spit out her drink.
“What?”
“Oh, you seem shocked. Here’s the good part. I know you had something to do with it, and if you don’t help me, I’ll be happy to tell the hospital that you are the one who stole the Versed that Karen used to drug my husband, and I may also mention that you have a little habit of your own that you are using the hospital to support,” she said. The shocked look on Leslie’s face said it all.
Leila then took a large envelope from her purse. “Now, you’re a nurse, right? And I’m sure you know how to read test results,” she said, taking two sheets of paper out. “These are the results from my husband’s lab work that showed Versed was in his system the night the so-called baby-making went down, and here are the results from the test our private doctor performed on Shon that says he’s not Ray’s son,” she said and handed them to Leslie. As she scanned the documents, her hands began to tremble.
“How . . .” she asked, reading the results. “How did you find all of this out? How do you know it was me that took the Versed?”
“Really, Leslie, you wanna know how? You assisted in doing a horrible thing. You and your crazy-ass friend did a horrible thing to my family—to my husband and me.”
“I know, Leila, and I’m so sorry. I knew Karen was out of control, but I couldn’t stop her. The day she asked me to get the Versed was the night she had Rayshon over, and the next day, he went back to you. I honestly thought she would just give it a rest and let it go, but she tol
d me she was pregnant a month later. I knew then she was crazy, and I knew the truth would come out, but I had no idea she swabbed your son. I thought for sure she’d be busted after the test. I wanted to tell Rayshon, but she threatened to tell that I took the Versed for her,” she explained, but Leila didn’t feel sorry for her at all.
“How could you do that, Leslie?”
“I know it was horrible, Leila, and I’m sorry.”
“Well, you won’t have a problem recording her, will you?”
“I guess I won’t,” she said, and she put her head down. “So, what did you have in mind?” she asked, and Leila filled her in on all the details. After that, Leslie headed home, and her hands were shaking. Karen was crazy, and she didn’t know how she was going to get Karen to rehash the entire story without her being suspicious.
The next evening, Karen and the baby arrived at Leslie’s house, and Leslie was nervous as hell. She made sure the camera was in place, and then she opened the door. When Karen walked in, she was smiling and bursting with joy. “Girl, I have good news. I mean, what I’m about to tell you is going to blow your mind, Les,” Karen exclaimed.
“Come on in and tell me your good news,” Leslie said to a beaming Karen. Leslie already knew the entire story and knew why her psycho friend was glowing.
“Oh, Leslie, I’m the luckiest woman on the planet,” she said, pushing her baby’s stroller near the sofa, and then she took a seat.
“Really, now?” Leslie said, and joined her on the sofa. She grabbed the bottle of wine that was on the coffee table and filled both glasses.
“Yes, girl, Rayshon came to me last night and said that he wants to marry me and what could be more awesome than that?” she exclaimed, bubbling over. She was all smiles.
“Marriage? Wow. I can see why you’re on cloud nine, Karen,” she said. She decided not to waste any time getting what she needed on tape. She reached over to her end table and hit the record button on the wireless remote for the recorder and prayed that it started.
“Yes, and nothing—not even Leila’s fat ass—can ruin my mood,” she said, and they laughed.