Twisted Vows of Seduction

by N’Tyse

  “Thanks, Lucy, I appreciate it. Tell her I deeply apologize and I’ll be there as soon as I can.” Nadine overheard him talking and hoped that she hadn’t been the reason he was being delayed. She reversed her way out of the parking lot. When she finally raised her head to look in the rearview mirror, she noticed he had not gotten in his car yet. He was too busy watching her drive away.

  By the time Nadine pulled into her parking space, she was extremely exhausted. She had practically run herself ragged from all the errands and shopping trips. Good thing she’d left Canvas with her neighbor’s daughter instead of dropping him off at daycare, which happened to be way on the other side of town. She gathered all her bags from the shopping she had done as well as the clothes she had picked up from the cleaners. She couldn’t wait to see how the skirt and slacks fit after having the alterations done. With her new gym membership, she hoped weight gain would be the last reason she would ever have to alter her clothing again.

  She inserted her key in the door and surprisingly, it didn’t turn. She did it again and again until it finally dawned on her that her handyman, Ricardo, had changed the locks as she had requested. She rang the doorbell. She could hear footsteps on the other side until finally, Casey, Canvas’s babysitter, opened the door.

  Casey held an index finger to her lip. “He’s asleep,” she whispered.

  Nadine nodded her head and walked inside as quietly as possible. Casey grabbed most of the bags out of Nadine’s arms and placed them in the bedroom, while Nadine walked over to her snoring son who was lying there on the couch. She leaned over and gave him a soft peck on the cheek. She spotted one of her throw blankets beside him and as usual, Casey had been buried with her e-reader before Nadine walked in.

  “How did he do today?” Nadine asked, walking back over toward the kitchen area.

  “He did great. And guess what?”

  “What?”

  “I taught him how to say my name!” Casey exclaimed, seemingly flashing all thirty-two teeth.

  “Wow.” Nadine smiled. “That’s awesome.”

  “Very. I tell you that little booger is so smart. He catches on so quickly.”

  “Tell me about it,” Nadine smiled, sliding out of her shoes.

  “He ate about an hour ago and he’s already had his bath.”

  “Ooooh, that was nice of you to do that!” Nadine said relieved. That was one less thing she had to do.

  “Oh yeah, I almost forgot. His father called to check on him.”

  “Oh, did he?” Nadine gasped. That caused her to pause. Her thoughts began to cycle back to last night. Had she said the first thing that came to mind, Casey would have probably thought she was losing her mad mind.

  “He said he would be stopping by sometime later to pick him up.”

  Nadine picked up toys as she walked through the dining room area. She wasn’t going to hold her breath waiting for Jeff to come over. He had already gone a week without calling, what difference was one extra day going to make. She was so tired of shoveling his shit around. Tired of the back and forth, come and go. How he chose to act with her was one thing, but to take it out on their son was unacceptable. Nadine had made up her mind that if this was the type of father he was going to be, she would let it be his regret because she knew her son would see it all for himself later on in life. He would see the difference Jeff made between his sister and him and no matter how many times Nadine had to refrain from confronting Jeff about it, it bothered her to the core that she sat back and watched him do this to their son.

  “When did Ricardo come by?”

  Casey held up her hands as if a light bulb had gone off in her head. “He came right after you left this morning.” She walked over to the coffee table and picked up the two gold keys. “He wanted me to give these to you.” She handed the keys to Nadine.

  “Thank you,” Nadine said, placing them on the bar. She then grabbed her purse and pulled out her checkbook. She began making a check out to Casey.

  “Thanks, Ms. Collins,” Casey said, accepting the $40 check.

  “No, thank you for being available at the last minute.”

  “Anytime.” Casey beamed. “Besides, Canvas is like the little brother I always wanted.”

  Nadine gave her a warm smile and watched her gather her things. “Hey Casey, just in case his father doesn’t pick him up tonight, do you think you can sit for just a few hours tomorrow? I perfectly understand if you have prior engagements.”

  Casey waved the e-reader. “Are you kidding me? I would love to. The only prior engagement I have is this. My life isn’t even remotely exciting as the juicy novels I read.” She laughed. “Pretty darn pathetic.”

  Nadine added to her laughter. “Well, honey, I wish I could say the same. My life feels like a book.”

  “Fantasy or adventure?”

  “Try drama with a capital D.” Before Casey could say another word, Nadine heard keys jangling on the other side of the door. She concealed her smile. She knew exactly who that was trying to get in.

  “You want me to get that?” Casey asked in almost a whisper.

  Nadine shook her head, her eyes smiling. The keys jangled against the door for a moment longer before the doorbell rang. Nadine slowly walked over to answer it. “Who is it?” she asked, a smile on her face.

  “Me.”

  “Who?”

  “Nadine, it’s me! Jeff.”

  Nadine took her precious time unlocking the door. When she eased it open, Jeff and Deandra walked inside.

  Casey took that as her cue to get going. Nadine was sure the sudden change in her tone, her body language, and her facial expression, said more than words alone.

  “Just call me if you need me, Ms. Collins,” Casey said as she hugged Nadine. She spoke to Jeff and Deandra and excused herself as she walked past them, out the door, and down the hall.

  “Why the hell my key tripping?” Jeff complained.

  “Well, hello to you too!” Nadine said. But what she really wanted to say was, “Your black ass don’t live here anymore. You and your uncommitting dick have both been evicted!”

  7

  Jeff chuckled a little after realizing how rude he’d been. His eyes followed Nadine as she walked ahead of him. She didn’t even embrace him in a hug or kiss as she would have normally. The vibe she was giving off was so strong that it didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that something was wrong. All he could wonder was what the hell did he walk himself into now.

  “You good?” Jeff asked with caution.

  Nadine only stared at him at first. With narrowed cat eyes she shot him a cold and menacing side-glance. The tension in the air was suffocating, but he wasn’t going to give into the funk. His day was going good and he intended to keep it that way. He bypassed her, looking around for nothing in particular. On any other day, Nadine’s place felt like home. Today, Jeff felt like an unwanted visitor.

  He walked farther into the large living area. It was spotless, as always. He found his son asleep on the couch. He walked over to him.

  “And how are you little Ms. Lady?” Nadine asked walking over to Deandra. She outstretched her arms and they obliged in a hug, but from where Jeff was standing, it looked more like a simple brush in passing.

  “I’m fine,” Deandra answered dryly.

  Jeff was grateful to see his daughter finally coming around, but he could tell there was still a ways to go. He no longer expected her to accept Nadine as his woman, being how they weren’t walking that path anymore, however, he did need her to accept and respect her as the mother of her baby brother. Bottom line. He had drowned out the idea of making Nadine his wife a long time ago. As far as he was concerned, it became a dead issue each day he discovered she had betrayed him. He could never marry a deceitful woman as her. Never! Not even in a million dreams. He refused to allow her the privilege of calling herself his wife, and the closest she would ever come to the title was her role as his baby mama.

  Jeff wasn’t looking for monogamy, commi
tment, marriage, or anything that spelled dick-on-lockdown. He was smarter than that. He was going to take his newfound freedom and run like hell without looking back.

  Scooping Canvas in his arms like a newborn baby, Jeff leaned in and kissed him on the forehead. “Looks like he’s gotten bigger since the last time I saw him,” he said, looking over his shoulders. She cut her eyes at him and probably thought he didn’t see it. With his son in his arms, Jeff took a seat on the sofa while Deandra parked herself right in front of the television.

  Jeff’s attention delivered itself back to Nadine. She tried her hardest to act like she was so occupied cleaning up, but he knew that was her way of avoiding him. Either that or her OCD was more serious than he thought.

  “You all right over there?” Jeff asked. “You’re awfully quiet,” he added, trying to spark a conversation. After all, he hadn’t seen her and Canvas in a week. Surely there was something new to talk about. Normally she couldn’t wait to tell him about a new word Canvas had learned or something new he’d done. That reminded him of the woman he had seen earlier today.

  He wanted to tell Nadine how he had spotted that cocky son-of-a-bitch, Greg Adams, leaving Denise’s gravesite. He wanted to share with her how he had played cat and mouse with his ass for fun, then painfully watched him have lunch with a woman that looked damn near identical to Denise. He wanted to know what Nadine would have thought of it all as he was still psyched out about it. But what puzzled him most was that the woman had said his name. Or was that a coincidence too?

  “So you just gone give me the silent treatment and act like I ain’t even here?”

  That comment got Nadine’s full attention. She walked into the living room and instead of sitting next to Jeff, she took a seat on one of the ottomans. She switched her eyes from the television screen to Jeff. Their eyes locked on each other’s and everything that went unsaid could surely be felt. It was a negative vibe that made his stomach churn, yet his face held no emotion. That might have been what pissed her off the most. Where was that man that used to give a damn about the tears hiding behind her swollen brown eyes, the confusion lurking in her clouded mind and the stress strangling her heart? Jeff wondered. It didn’t take long before the answer was revealed to him. Shit, he knew exactly where that naïve motherfucker was. Dead and gone!

  He still loved and cared for his baby mama; after all she was the mother of his first-born, but Jeff wasn’t in love with her anymore. It took him a year to realize that he was probably never completely in love with her to begin with. Their past relationship had been driven by lust, fantasy, and toe-curling sex on top of more sex! That’s what had fondled his interest. That’s what had kept his dick rocked. But as truths surfaced and ultimatums came crashing down on his party, Jeff had run for the nearest exit he could find. That wasn’t what he’d signed up for.

  The smug look Nadine held in place was award-winning. He had never seen her in this foul of a mood. “Something on your mind?”

  Nadine let out a gasp. “No complaints here,” she simpered.

  Jeff could tell it was all a front. He studied her face carefully. Her mouth said one thing, but her body language and attitude said the opposite. “You sure about that?” That fake smile she wore in an attempt to camouflage her true feelings eventually faded. “Because you look like you mad as hell right now.”

  “What exactly do you want me to say to you, Jeff?” She grimaced. Her butterscotch skin flushed a soft hue of red.

  “I’m feeling a little steam coming off that ottoman and evidently it’s directed toward me because you ain’t even acting like yourself right now. You haven’t said five words to me since I’ve been here. Your lips are pushed out, your makeup’s sweating, and you’re sitting way over there. Hell, I know something’s wrong. I’m just trying to figure out what.”

  “Humph!” Nadine stood and scooped Canvas from Jeff’s arms. “Why don’t you tell me what’s wrong,” she said flippantly with piercing eyes. “Since you know me soooo damn well.”

  Jeff drew his neck back. Here we go with this shit, he thought.

  Nadine motioned for Deandra to follow her. They walked into Nadine’s room where she laid Canvas in the bed. She turned the television on for Deandra to watch and then walked back into the living room with Jeff, closing the sliding glass door behind her.

  Jeff let out a deep sigh, already knowing what time it was. He could tell by the scowl on her face now that he had popped open a can of bitch-a-tude.

  Nadine stood in front of him. She looked him square in the eyes. “I can’t do this anymore.”

  Jeff allowed the seriousness of her words to register. He knew exactly what she was referring to, but he queried her anyway. He relaxed his shoulders, tightened his jaws, and casually asked, “You can’t do what, Nadine?”

  Her eyes narrowed into slits and her voluptuous cherry-painted lips parted ways. “I can’t keep allowing you to…” Before she could complete her sentence, those hidden tears that played peek-a-boo with Jeff earlier, began to suddenly stroll down her lightly blushed cheeks. She blinked her eyes a few times and more tears slithered down her face.

  Jeff stood to his feet. He pulled Nadine into his embrace, but she rejected him. On any other day it would have worked. Him holding her, trying to console her in her time of need would have been enough to calm her down and ease her worries. It would have been enough just to fuck her brains out and tell her whatever she needed to hear to settle her. But today his efforts hardly worked. She wouldn’t even let him make it to first base.

  Nadine shook her head slowly, all while staring at him as if he had some deadly contagious disease. Her face etched with an unfamiliar pain. “No,” she said softly. She took a long deep breath. “I won’t keep letting you hurt me!” she reemphasized this time with more pain in her voice, in her eyes, and on her beautiful face.

  Jeff’s body was as stiff as a board, his heart undoubtedly numb to the agony she was experiencing. Why, he didn’t know. Years ago he’d cared about Nadine’s feelings more than the feelings of his own wife. He’d cared if she hated or loved him, cared if she was happy or not. Now, all Jeff could allow himself to be, was concerned. “Where is all this coming from?” he asked boldly. As she stood there silent, the louder her tears seemed to pour down her face. He continued on. “I don’t know exactly what I’ve done to hurt you, but—”

  “Stop!” She tilted her head sideways. “You really don’t get it, do you?”

  Jeff tucked in his bottom lip. He wished that he could empathize with her, but the truth was that he couldn’t even remotely identify with her right now. It was like a terrible storm had come through and knocked out his converter box, causing him to lose all connection.

  He looked over into the next room at his children. Canvas was still asleep and Deandra was sitting Indian style beside him on the bed. Jeff’s recollection of pain was indeed right in that room. Deandra was a reminder of the pain, the resentment, and the betrayal he’d felt the day Denise told him that his daughter really wasn’t his. I can’t keep letting you hurt me! He found himself wanting to beg to differ. Nadine wasn’t hurt. Because hurt didn’t disguise itself well. It didn’t look the way she looked now. No…she wasn’t hurt, but he could see why she would want to play the victim. Women did it all the time. It was what his boys had warned him about and he be gotdamn, they were right on the money.

  Jeff wasn’t quite sure how to diagnose Nadine, but one thing for damn sure was that it wasn’t hurt! He stood there and played back all the arguments, the demands, the ultimatums, in his mind. And just like that, it hit him all at once. Nadine wasn’t hurt, he reasoned. She was simply missing that twisted-ass affair orchestrated by his dead wife.

  “It’s time we gave each other space. To clear our heads,” she continued. Her voice calm the entire time, but uneven. “I think it would also be appropriate for us to work out arrangements…for Canvas. Because this pop-up thing you tend to do is not going to work for me.”

  “You mean it’s not
going to work now that you’ve let your aunt and your friends fill your head up.”

  “What exactly is that supposed to mean?”

  “You know exactly what it means. You didn’t have a problem with it before when you were benefiting from it too,” he reminded.

  “I have a child to think about now. I’m not going to keep letting you walk up in here anytime you damn well feel like it. Those days are over!”

  Jeff chuckled loosely. “All right. But as soon as that pussy gets lonely…you know who to call, baby.” He grinned sinisterly.

  Nadine scrunched her face in disgust. “Listen to you. I don’t even know who you are anymore speaking like that. It seems that ever since… Denise died…you’ve changed.” She continued in hesitation. “Are you…still mourning, Jeff? If you are, just say it and stop beating me up for it!”

  Jeff remained silent. His entire body grew numb and he felt lightheaded. He stared at her in contempt. “I don’t want to argue in front of the kids,” Jeff said, finally, trying to nip that conversation in the bud. He could feel an argument brewing, but he wasn’t going to give in to it. Not today. Not for a long time.

  Nadine held up one finger. “No…see that’s what you would like to think this is going to be.” She managed a light chuckle even as fresh tears skidded past her mouth. “This discussion is simply about where we stand, our son, and what I expect out of you as his father.”

  Jeff was taken aback and offended. “Wait, so are you trying to say that suddenly I’m not a good father to my son?” His voice unintentionally shot up an octave and he immediately went into defense mode.

  “You said it, I didn’t,” Nadine retorted mockingly taking a seat back on the ottoman.

  “Quit cutting corners, Nadine, and get that shit off your mind. What you trying to say to me?”

  Nadine looked away and then back at him. The natural glow in her eyes was shielded by his towering muscular frame. “What I’m saying is that,” she stammered, “your son could use a little more of your time than what you’ve been giving him.”