by Anna J.
I called Trish at the job and told her something I ate upset my stomach so I’d be in the next day. She wished me well, and that was that. I set Monica’s alarm clock for four thirty so I’d be up to get the kids from daycare. While Monica was in the closet I took my clothes off and stretched out on the soft comforter. It was now one o’clock, so I had some time.
I kept telling myself that I just needed to know if I felt anything for her, but I already knew I did. When she came out of her walk-in closet, she dropped the clothes on the floor, surprised at what she saw.
“Jasmine, I was just . . .”
“Come here. Let me show you how much I missed you.”
She was hesitant at first, but I gave her a reassuring look as she began to undress and make her way to the bed. I allowed her to lie on her back and spread her legs.
Taking one of the chocolate pieces from the table next to her bed, I had a brief flashback of the ice sculptures that sat there on my first encounter with Monica. Looking back at Monica, I got into a comfortable position between her legs. Opening her lips with my thumb and index finger, I rubbed the chocolate against her clit, the candy melting on her hot skin, making her clit look like a chocolate-covered cherry.
Taking my journey a little farther, I took the candy and circled the outside of her opening, licking it all off and starting over again until all the chocolate was gone. Monica moaned and gyrated her hips against my tongue until she came, depositing her honey on my face. I didn’t care. I kept her clit trapped between my lips until her shaking subsided.
Kissing a trail up her body, I made sure to pay special attention to her protruding belly, no longer mad that it may have been my husband’s child. I decided we would cross that bridge later as I moved to her side and pushed her nipples together, blessing them with my mouth. As soon as I touched her with my tongue, rain began to hit the window panes.
I let Monica touch my clit and finger my pussy with the same rhythm my fingers pleasured her with until we both erupted at the same time. Damn, it’d been a long time since I felt like this, and I wanted it more often.
We fell asleep in each other’s arms after I licked her tears away, accepting her apologies and apologizing for the bruise James had left on her beautiful face. We woke up at four, giving us time to have fun in the shower, and giving me time to get dressed.
Before we went downstairs, Monica showed me the middle room, which she’d made into her studio, and a few pictures of the baby furniture she would be ordering. We sat at the table for a second just staring at each other as I waited for the rain to subside.
“Before you go, I have something for you.” Monica got up and gave me a box that she had stored in her kitchen. It was light in weight. I was skeptical.
“It’s not a bomb, is it?” I said while shaking the box playfully, but serious at the same time.
“No, but you can’t open it until you get home.” She giggled.
“Okay, I can live with that. Now let me go get the kids and get home before James gets there.”
“Okay.”
When we got to the door, I put my jacket on and grabbed the box from her. She looked like she was about to cry. After giving her a hug and promising to call her, I ran to my car, trying to dodge as many raindrops as possible.
When I pulled up to the school I opened the box out of curiosity, and was shocked by what I saw. Pulling them out one at a time, I counted thirteen pairs of underwear, belonging to both me and James. Damn, I guess we were both over there an equal amount of times after all. I decided I wouldn’t say anything to James. I’d just put them in the dirty clothes before I started dinner. It didn’t make sense to cause any more problems.
When I walked in the house James was already there, and he had started dinner. The kids ran upstairs to wash their hands and change their clothes so I could help them with their homework before dinner. Jalil ran right to James for a hug, but Jaden made a beeline for the steps. I pretended I didn’t notice. I left the box in the car when I saw James’s car in the driveway. I didn’t want to answer any questions, and he’d surely have some once he saw the contents.
I sat down at the table, kicked off my shoes, and waited for the kids to come back down. James walked over to me and tried to kiss me, but I faked a cough before he got too close. I had since washed my face and brushed my teeth at Monica’s house, but I didn’t want him to get too close and possibly smell her on my skin.
“How was your day, sweetie?” James asked as he stirred the contents of the numerous pots and pans he had on the stove. He looked good in his dress slacks and button-down shirt, but I barely noticed because I had Monica and our afternoon together on my mind.
“It was okay. I just tried to catch up on some work.”
“Are you sure? I called your office to check on you and the babies, and your secretary said you left early with an upset stomach.”
I was stunned to silence for a split second because I wasn’t expecting him to come at me with that. I didn’t factor that into the decision to leave early. I shook it off and came back with a lame excuse.
“Yeah, I went to Grandma’s Kitchen for lunch, and I think the greens were a bit much. I went to my brother’s house to lie down for a while because it was closer from there to get the kids than coming all the way home.”
Okay, so I told a boldfaced lie, but so what? He’d been lying to me for months. Plus, I knew he’d never call my brother to confirm my stay, but I’d be sure to call and give them a heads up just in case.
“How are you feeling now?”
Before I had a chance to answer, the kids came running into the room, saving me from having to lie again. I immediately began helping them with their homework, thoughts of my afternoon with Monica heavy on my mind. I decided I would continue to see her, but James could never know. I wouldn’t see her as much as I used to, but I would still see her.
James set the table after the kids were done with their homework. He served all of us before he sat down. We all lowered our heads to say grace, looking like a fake-ass happy family. I didn’t know how all of this was going to end, but I was sure the outcome wouldn’t be good.
I listened as my husband and kids conversed. After our meal was done and we had dessert, I bathed the kids and put them to bed. I took a shower and put on a pair of comfy pajamas before getting into bed. Normally, I would have put on something sexy, but I didn’t feel like pretending tonight. I wanted to go to sleep with the feel of Monica’s touch on my skin.
Not long after I got in bed, James joined me after taking his shower. I lay in his arms and he rubbed my belly until I went to sleep. My last thought before I submitted to slumber was to remember to get that box out of the trunk of my car. It was his turn to take the kids to school, so I’d have time to go out there and get it after he left in the morning.
James
The Saga Continues
Since all of this craziness had been going on, I’d been trying my damnedest to keep Jazz happy. Lately, Monica had been on my mind a lot, and I badly wanted to grip her by her damn neck. We had an understanding from the beginning. I would let her have sex with my wife once, and that would cover any charges for three sessions. That was the entire reason for setting up the damn threesome, but come to find out they were getting it on like crazy. Jazz had already told me they were, but it didn’t hit home until I heard it from Monica’s mouth. I’d been looking at Jasmine sideways ever since.
I don’t know what came over me when I hit Monica. I guess I was just so mad I couldn’t help myself. Jazz pissed me off too, asking Monica questions when I had already told her what I wanted her to know. That conversation was supposed to be over, and there she went bringing up old shit. If we were ever going to move past all of this, then we needed to let it the fuck go. Why keep talking about shit we couldn’t change?
Then Jazz jumped on me like I did something wrong—like she was taking Monica’s side. Now, don’t get me wrong, I ain’t no woman-beater or no shit like that. My father brought me up to have the
utmost respect for women, but that bitch was running her mouth and saying shit she had no business speaking out loud. Okay, she was pregnant, but I didn’t hit her in her stomach, did I? Hell, her face wasn’t pregnant.
After that Jazz started acting all funny and shit, and when I called her at work to check on her, Trish said she had already left for the day because she wasn’t feeling well. I called her brother’s house and her cell phone, but no Jazz. She said she went to her brother’s before she got the kids. I guess she got there after I called. I didn’t bother to call and confirm because they were family, and I knew he’d just go with the flow. But something wasn’t right. I could sense it. I had been trying my hardest to remember what that comment was that Monica had mentioned about some personal trainers for Jazz. I didn’t know what that was about because Jazz didn’t have any personal trainers that I knew about, but Monica was trying to hint at something. I don’t know, maybe Jazz is going to the gym and she doesn’t want to tell me. I don’t know.
After I called Jazz at the office that day I drove past Monica’s house. I thought I saw her car parked on Monica’s block, but I knew that it couldn’t have been and I made up my mind to ignore it. And if she was indeed there I’m sure it was for a good reason. She seemed a little uneasy when she came in, but I just let it go. If I was going to forgive her, there was no need to keep reliving the past. The trust had to start somewhere.
My morning had been a hectic mess.
After barely getting through my morning, I called my wife to see if she wanted to hook up for lunch. It’d been a little tense at home for the last two weeks, so I figured this would be a good icebreaker. A man could only go for so long without getting his dick wet, and I was lying next to some ass every night, yet lately I couldn’t seem to get none. Something had to give, and soon. I wouldn’t step out on her again, though. I’d learned my lesson from the shit I was going through with Monica, and how I almost got busted with those strippers, so I was cool on that note, but what was I supposed to do?
When I called her office the first time, her secretary said she was in a meeting, so I opted to call back as opposed to leaving her a message. I wanted to talk to her personally. A half hour later I was connected to her, but she sounded like she had an attitude. I had my own shit going on, and I didn’t feel like all that, but I guess she was having a bad day too.
“Hey, sweetheart, how’s your day going?” I asked extra cheerfully, trying to change her mood. Both of us didn’t need to be angry at the world.
“I’ve had better mornings. What’s up with you?”
“Nothing. I had a little time to spare so I was hoping we could meet up for a quick lunch. Maybe check out that new soul food spot that just opened up in University City.”
“Which one? Tondalayah’s?”
“Yeah, that’s the spot. I heard the food is banging, and the iced tea is off the chain.”
“Your treat?”
“Of course.”
“I’m game.”
“Cool. I’ll meet you outside your job at one thirty. Tell Trish you’re taking an extended lunch. I just landed the account with Nabisco, so we have a reason to celebrate.”
After hanging up with her, I went to talk to my boss for a few, and he gave me the rest of the day off for pulling off getting the account in spite of the disasters from this morning.
I straightened up my desk, took one last look at the photo of me, Jazz, and the kids, left the office, and made my way across town to meet my wife for lunch. Hopefully, the rest of my day would go smoother.
Sheila
Old Flames
Early Monday morning, I was waiting outside the hospital for Monica. Initially, she told me the class started at four, but she called me back yesterday to let me know she would be taking the ten a.m. class instead. She pulled up ten minutes late in a cute, hot pink jumpsuit, her belly a bulge at the bottom. I said nothing to her as she took her time getting out the car and passing the valet her keys as if she wasn’t already late.
All of the memories from the previous year flooded my mind as we took a quiet elevator ride up to the tenth floor of the building. Monica still looked the same, yet different. I could still see her devil’s horns, but her eyes looked like those of a scared child. I was sympathetic, but determined not to get caught up in her shit this time. Hell, she was carrying a married man’s child, and I wanted no part of the fiasco. If I was going to hell I’d like it to be for some shit I did, not because of someone else’s.
I was almost positive it was James’s baby, but with Monica, you just never knew. I still needed to talk to my sister about the shit that went down with her husband, Hill, and Monica, but I hadn’t found the time or the nerve. Hill was a cool dude and all, but there was always something sneaky about him that I didn’t particularly care for. Now I knew why. During the class, I helped Monica learn her breathing exercises, but I wasn’t committing anything to memory because I would not be there to help her deliver. Lamaze class was one thing, but childbirth was another. We went through the motions of counting breathing repetitions, but on the real, all of that shit went out the window when it came time to push. That was the number one reason why I only had one child. The shit hurt like hell. I guarantee if men had to carry children and give birth, we’d be an endangered species.
After class, Monica invited me to brunch at Tondalayah’s, a new soul food restaurant that opened up a while back in University City. I kept planning in my mind to get down there, but I never got around to it. I was really ready to go home and chill since Monica fixed it so I had a paid day off.
“Sure, I’ll go, but you’re driving.”
During the ride over my heart was beating a mile a minute. It’d been a long time since I’d been this close to Monica, and I wasn’t sure if I liked the feelings I was having. She turned my life completely upside down in less than a year, but my pussy was throbbing like everything was cool between us. I kept telling myself not to fall for her, but my body was betraying me. Just thinking about the things her mouth could do had me spent.
We chatted about various things on the way over, avoiding the obvious. I damn sure wasn’t going to be the one to bring it up. My sister warned me this morning about helping her, but I was just trying to pay my debt so I could move on. She cursed me something horrible when I told her where I was going.
“It is that serious, Sheila. Ain’t this bitch killin’ people and shit? You go right on ahead, but don’t dial my number when the block is hot. If anything happens to my nephew, that’s your ass. Don’t take it as a threat, because that ass whipping is promised. Put ya check on it.”
My sister’s words echoed in my head non stop, but I figured Monica had to have calmed down at least a little bit now that she was pregnant. Her stomach was definitely showing her pregnancy, so I didn’t think she’d be making too much noise, but then again, with Monica you never knew.
We pulled up to the restaurant twenty minutes later, and the smells from the kitchen had my mouth watering. I had neglected breakfast because I was in a rush to meet Monica and get it over with, but the growling noise in my stomach gave away my hunger to everyone in the place.
Tondalayah’s was a nice spot. The whole place looked inviting, even from the outside. I just loved the ambiance in the place. After seating us and filling our glasses with mixed fruit iced tea, the waitress took our order and we were served hot, buttered biscuits.
At first we looked around the restaurant, avoiding eye contact. I glanced her way a few times when she wasn’t looking, and I had to say that pregnancy brought out the best in her. She appeared to be glowing from the inside out, and it looked like her hair had grown a lot in the last couple of months. My coochie was talking to me again, but I wasn’t having it. After the James and Jasmine drama, I knew I could never get that deep in someone else’s issues again.
Before the moment could get any more awkward, our food was served and we began eating. She talked a little about a mural she was painting in what would be the bab
y’s room, and invited me to come see it. I just looked at her like she was crazy. I didn’t give a damn if Noah was building a new ark on top of her house and we had to go there to avoid the flood. I’d be a drowned bitch before I stepped into that house again. Ain’t no way I was going over there, come hell or high water.
Our conversation was improving, and we were really enjoying ourselves until Monica practically jumped out of her seat, sprinted across the restaurant, and ended up in another woman’s arms. Was I jealous? Not really, but when I saw her reaction I felt something. They exchanged words, and a few minutes later they started walking toward the table. The woman looked familiar, but I couldn’t remember where I had seen her face. Monica was all smiles like she had just hit the damn Powerball. I mustered up a weak smile as they got closer to the table, but I was feeling sick to my stomach at the sight before me.
“Sheila, this is Tanya Walker, a good friend of mine. Tanya, this is Sheila, one of my many associates.”
My face almost cracked and fell on the floor at Monica’s introduction, but I got my shit together real quick and reached out to shake Tanya’s hand. Her face frowned up a little when Monica said they were friends, but I let it pass, not really knowing the meaning behind it.
“Nice to meet you, Tanya.”
“Thank you so much. I hope you’re enjoying your meal.”
“Oh, I am. It’s delicious.”
Monica rudely pulled Tanya to the side and they continued to converse while I attempted to finish my meal. Not sure what made me glance out the window, I nearly spit my food across the table when I saw James helping Jasmine out the car. I crossed my fingers and tried to cross my toes, hoping to every god on the planet that they were not coming here. All hope went out the door when James opened it and the couple walked inside.
I watched Monica’s face for a reaction. At that same moment Tanya walked away. It then hit me where I knew Tanya from. I remembered seeing her face on the front of the newspaper when all that shit went down with her husband being killed. I couldn’t really remember the story at that second, but I made a mental note to research it when I got home.