“Jonathan, I told you before that—”
“Please!” he yelled and then slumped his head again. The loud pitch of his voice caused my eyes to widen, and he demanded to know the truth. “It is Lewis, isn’t it? Just tell me, damn it! Is it Lewis?”
Refusing to answer, I quickly stood up and pulled down my skirt. Jonathan rushed up from the floor too and reached out to embrace me. This was such a horrible situation to be in, and he could see that I was about to lose it. No matter what, though, he continued to beg for answers.
“I’m begging you, Sylvia, please.” He continued to hold my trembling body. “Just tell me if it’s Lewis. That’s all I need is a yes or no.”
My dry mouth finally opened. I could barely speak. Jonathan did need to know the truth. I wasn’t so sure if I was willing to tell it: because I knew what Dana had done to him was wrong, or because I wanted him for myself. Either way, I whispered, “Yes,” and told him that Dana had been cheating with Lewis for the past three years.
I jumped from my sleep, thinking about that day. And after tonight, a huge part of me wanted to tell Jonathan about Lesa. I remembered the backlash from telling him about Dana, but Lesa wasn’t my friend. He was. He was the one who meant something to me. I just didn’t know if I would be in the wrong for going there again. I didn’t want him to come back to me because another woman had let him down. I wanted him to come back to me because he wanted a future with me. Because he realized he loved me, and he recognized that we belonged together. This was tough, but I knew something had to be said soon.
I searched around my apartment, but Jonathan was gone. It was almost six o’clock in the morning. Instead of going back to sleep, I went for a long, relaxing walk in Forest Park. Walking always helped to relax me, and it definitely helped to keep me in shape. I surely thought I would see Crissy on the walking trail too, but all I saw were a bunch of people walking their dogs and several people skating on rollerblades. I made a mental note to buy me some of those. They seemed to burn a lot of calories, and I was highly interested in doing whatever to keep myself in shape.
I returned to my car, tired as ever because I had run the last mile and a half back. I was happy to take a seat, so I plopped down to catch my breath. Seconds later, I started the car, but as soon as I drove off the parking lot, I heard a squeaking sound. The squeaking got louder, and when I looked down to see what it was, I saw at least ten mice moving around my feet. I could have died. I slammed the car in park and then jumped out and into the middle of the street. Another driver almost crashed into the back of my car, and he swerved to avoid me.
“Stupid idiot!” he yelled from his window then blew his horn as he sped away. I was a nervous wreck. More cars started to blow their horns, leaving me in a panic. I didn’t know if I should pick up the mice one by one to get them out, or call someone to help me. Luckily for me, a man got out of his car to help. He pulled my car over to the curb, and one by one, he set the mice free. I asked him to double-check my car to make sure there were no more. He did, but I still didn’t feel comfortable getting back inside of it. I did, however, see a folded piece of paper on the passenger’s side seat. I reached for it then closed the door. The note read: YOU ARE A FOOL, SYLVIA. ONE, BIG, FOOL!
I put the paper in my purse, just so I could show it to the police when I went to the station to report this. Still unable to get in my car, I thanked the man for helping me then called a cab. I called a tow truck to get my car, and asked the man to take it to my mechanic. I was sure he would check it more thoroughly for me, but until then, I opted to rent a car.
This was so crazy to me, and it was the last straw. The only person I knew to go after was Dana. I was hoping that she would crack. She couldn’t keep secrets for long, and if she had done this, I knew it would be a matter of time before she would explain why. I contacted her when I got home, but she stuck with her lies.
“You all are crazy! There is so much more to do in life than harass people and chase after men who are taken. I’m sick of hearing from you, Sylvia, and you must be eager to go to jail. Stop calling me or else I’m going to make your life so fucking miserable that you’re going to regret ever calling yourself my friend. Good-bye!”
Dana was a good liar, but I started to feel as if she wasn’t the one. I needed to follow up with Crissy to see what else the private investigator had found out. I decided against calling Jonathan to tell him what had happened, but I did go to the police department to report it. I also spoke to the officers who were at Jonathan’s house last night. In my opinion, they didn’t seem like they wanted to help, and were more concerned about our involvement. One claimed they needed proof. I intended to get it, only because after leaving there, I knew Jonathan and I were on our own with this. We would never hear one word from them or get any kind of follow-up. That I was sure of.
On Monday, Crissy wasn’t in the office. She called over the weekend to tell me that she was taking a few days off to visit her cousin in Texas. I knew she needed a break, and the last thing I wanted to bug her about was the private investigator and Lesa. I hadn’t confronted her yet, but since Dana was fair game, so was she. Crissy told me where Lesa worked, per the investigator’s information. So around lunch, I drove to the location, only to find Lesa outside with a man who looked to be a model. They were indulged in what looked to be a heavy and intense conversation. She didn’t even see me coming her way. When she spotted me, a fake smile washed across her face. I surely wondered if this was the man she had doing all of her dirt for her. He didn’t look like the man I’d seen her screwing in the photo, but then again, the picture was blurred. All I knew was somebody was fucking.
“I’ll see you back inside,” she said to him as I approached her. “I need to speak to a friend of mine.”
I hurried to correct her. “I wouldn’t say we’re friends at all. Please don’t go there.”
The man looked at both of us and hesitated before going inside of the tall brick building with numerous glass windows. Lesa folded her arms, displaying much attitude.
“Not here, Sylvia,” she said. “If you want to speak to me about anything, you need to make an appointment.”
I laughed. “Girl, please. You’re not that important. I came to tell you a few things, so please listen up. If you don’t stop what you’re doing, Jonathan will soon learn about you and your little longtime lover. It seems as if you’ve been cheating on Jonathan for a long time, and how dare you ridicule him for being with me? I’m not going to tolerate any more of your bullshit, and just so you know, you are days away from your world tumbling down. The choice is yours. Stop or pay the price.”
Lesa narrowed her eyes and winced. “I’ve never cheated on Jonathan before. Your accusations are false, and you are so desperate that you’ll blame me for anything. You need to seek medical attention, Sylvia, and that little helpful choice, sweetheart, is yours.”
“I’m not Jonathan. You can’t feed me the lies. You are evil, Lesa. He will find out all about you real soon.”
She threw her hand back, as if she didn’t care. “Whatever. I have work to do. Go kill yourself, or please do get a life that doesn’t revolve around the man I love.”
She stormed away and went inside of the building. I had to laugh to myself at her for trying to be so convincing. I wished that Jonathan would see through her before it was too late.
CHAPTER 18
JONATHAN
Things were starting to fall into place again. Lesa was back on my team, Britney called to tell me how well she’d been doing in school, and Sylvia and I were considered friends again. The witnesses with the videos came forward, and the whole story made nationwide news. I was the spokesperson for my client. So many individuals were trying to get at me to discuss the next move. To say I was overwhelmed would be putting it mildly. I barely had time to handle my other cases, but somehow, I made time. There were days when I worked from six a.m. to midnight. Didn’t have time for much else, but Lesa understood how important my job was to me.
She had moved back in with me, and, whenever we made time for it, our lovemaking had been on point. As soon as things settled down, I intended to officially make her my wife.
My office was swarming with reporters. I did my best to get away from them, and knowing where I could go for privacy, I headed toward Crissy’s office. She was on vacation, but Sylvia was sitting at her desk. I asked her to open Crissy’s door, and when we went inside, I locked it.
I released a deep breath then sat on the arm of a sofa. “Have you been seeing the news?”
“Yes. This is crazy, Mr. Celebrity Lawyer. You’re all over the place, and every time I turn the channel, there you are,” she said. “I’m almost speechless about what those officers did. I can’t say that I’m surprised. It happens all the time. They just got caught.”
“Right. And what disturbs me the most is they have no remorse for attempting to ruin that young man’s life. We’ve got to do better than this for sure.”
“I agree, and I’m so proud of you for handling this case and taking it to the level that you did. You made people see Taye in a different light, and you looked sooo handsome on TV. I was like, look at him. All professional and everything. Definitely a sight for sore eyes.”
I blushed. Sylvia always knew when to say the right things. Too bad she may not appreciate where this conversation was going though.
“Thank you for the kind words. I could say the same for you; you always look spectacular. On another note, how long will Crissy be out?”
“A week, maybe two. I’m not sure. She’s been on edge a lot, and I’ve been meaning to ask you if you know what is going on with her.”
I shrugged. “I’ve been wondering the same thing too. Honestly, I don’t think she likes working here anymore. She really hasn’t liked working since Mr. Duncan died, and a rich little daddy’s girl is used to having things her way. That hasn’t been the case since then. She doesn’t like for me to call the shots, but it is what it is.”
“I won’t comment, because she’s my friend. The two of you need to work through whatever. Try not to be so mean to her. You’ve been awfully mean to her, and I witnessed your tone over the phone one day.”
“I was probably having a bad day. And, knowing me, I’m sure I apologized to her.”
“Most of the time, you always own up to your mistakes, so I’m sure you apologized to her.”
I honestly couldn’t remember, but, thinking about something else, I walked over to the coffee machine. I poured a cup of coffee then sat on the sofa.
“I need to tell you something. Can you stay for a minute?” I said.
“Sure. What’s up?”
I hesitated for a few seconds then let it out. “I’m planning to take Lesa to Vegas and marry her. I don’t have a specific date yet, but it will be soon. Probably after all of this stuff with Taye’s case simmers down.”
I could see Sylvia swallow hard. She reached over and touched the top of my hand. “Good for you, Jonathan. I wish you nothing but the best, and if you believe Lesa is the woman for you, what can I do? I thank you for telling me, though. Means a lot.”
“I didn’t want you hearing it through the grapevine. I’m sure people around here are going to run their mouths about it, especially since many of them will be invited to a reception after we return.”
“Yeah, people do talk a lot around here. But if you’re sure, nothing else really matters. Are you sure this is what you want to do? Positive that you know enough about Lesa to want to marry her? I hope you are, Jonathan, because I don’t want to see you get hurt again.”
“I know you feel as if Lesa isn’t worthy of me, but you don’t know her like I do. She’s a good woman, Sylvia. None of us are perfect, but deep down I know I’m making the right choice.”
Sylvia slowly closed her big, round eyes then stood up. She walked toward the door, without turning to face me. “I’m sorry. I can’t just sit there and pretend that this doesn’t upset me when it does.”
She stormed out of Crissy’s office. Even though I didn’t feel good about the way she felt, I still had to move forward with my plans.
When it came to romancing my woman, I was the king of it. I didn’t mind going above and beyond the call of duty, and I had to throw in a little extra since I had done wrong. Lesa and I had just had dinner. I rented a private dining room where the two of us could talk, listen to jazz music, and dance. She had been wrapped in my arms all night. The more time we spent together, the more I realized she was the one for me. Besides that, her forgiveness showed me what kind of woman she was. She didn’t keep throwing Sylvia up in my face like Dana had done, and she made me feel as if she was in this for a lifetime, too.
“I love you,” she said as we cuddled in bed that night. “I keep thinking about the little shakeup that our relationship endured, and it seems as if it brought us closer. While I was away from you, I realized how much I didn’t want to be. I’m glad you had a chance to deal with your feelings for Sylvia, and it’s a good thing that you worked through them now, instead of later.”
I planted a soft kiss on her forehead. “I was thinking the same thing. That’s why I’m ready to do this. As soon as this case and all of this attention on it dies down, we’re getting out of here. We’re going back to Vegas, and you, sweetheart, are going to marry me. Scrap the big wedding. I don’t need it. All I need is you. How do you feel about that?”
While naked, Lesa straddled the top of me then massaged my chest. “I can show you how I feel about it better than I can tell you. But I will say this: I’m going to enjoy being Mrs. Jonathan Tyrese Taylor.”
“Not as much as I’m going to enjoy you having that status.”
Lesa leaned forward to kiss me. I separated her ass checks and navigated my hard muscle inside of her warmth. The ride was slow, but as she ground hard on top of me, I picked up the pace. My strokes caused her to react wildly. She rode me with much enthusiasm, and the sounds of her pussy popping sounded off in the room.
“You’re the best, baby,” she shouted. “You always come through for meeeee!”
I felt the same way about her. Finally, I found a woman who was on the same page as me.
CHAPTER 19
SYLVIA
The news was tragic. My hands were tied. I couldn’t do anything but use Brian to help me fuck away my pain. It wasn’t as if he didn’t know about my situation with Jonathan. He was well aware of it. He knew how I felt about him, and from our first conversation I told Brian that it would be difficult for me to love another. He still seemed willing to try. He considered me special, but that I was not. I used him, and he allowed me to do it. Without getting much in return, he settled for pussy that yearned to have another man inside of it instead of him. As he lay on top of me, I was like a zombie. Numb. I barely wanted to be there, and when he kissed my cheek to inquire about what was wrong, he already knew.
“Maybe we shouldn’t be doing this,” he said, looking down at me. “It doesn’t seem as if you’re with me tonight.”
I wasn’t there tonight or the night before. The night before that I faked an orgasm, just to get it over with. “I . . . I just don’t feel good tonight. It has nothing to do with you, trust me. I ate something earlier that has my stomach feeling a little yucky.”
Brian eased off of me, allowing me to go to the bathroom. I turned on the light and squinted from the bright lights above the mirror. When I looked at it, I saw my messy hair and suck marks that Brian had put all over my breasts and neck. I touched one of the suck marks on my neck then stared at the mirror, thinking about Jonathan. Tears rushed to the rim of my eyes, and, before I knew it, they started falling like rain. I grabbed my aching stomach then sat down on the toilet. While rocking back and forth, I cried harder and harder. This was tough. Losing him was harder than the last time. I wanted, needed him so badly; and as much as I tried, I just couldn’t shake him. I didn’t want to shake him. He needed to know what Lesa was doing behind his back, and I knew he would appreciate me for telling him the t
ruth. There was no way in hell that I could keep this from him. No way in hell, especially since I thought it could somehow or some way benefit me.
As I cried out loudly, Brian rushed to the door. He wiggled the doorknob then knocked. “Sylvia, open the door! Are you okay?” he shouted. “Open the door. Now!”
I crawled to the door then reached for the knob. I didn’t want him to see me like this, but I needed somebody, anybody to make me feel better. I fell into his arms, expecting for him to help me pick up the pieces. He held me tight, as I cried hard for another man.
“I’m sooo sorry,” I hollered out and whined like a baby. God forgive me for making such a fool of myself. “I can’t do thiiiiiis. You already know that I love someone else, but . . . but he doesn’t love meee!”
“It’s okay,” Brian said, holding me. “Calm down. Everything will be okay.”
Several minutes later, Brian carried me to my room and tucked me in bed. He put his clothes back on. I was afraid of what his thoughts were of me. I guessed he thought I was one crazy, sick bitch, and I was sure that he wanted to run, but he listened to my explanation for my behavior. I also told him about me wanting to tell Jonathan about Lesa.
“Don’t tell him,” he said. “You of all people should not say one word to him.”
“No, I of all people should tell him. He needs to know and maybe it will change things.”
“I doubt it, but I know you’re going to do what you want to anyway.”
“Brian, Jonathan and I have a long history together. I’ve known this man for a long time, and he’s more than just a friend. If you knew something like this about one of your friends’ future wife or husband, wouldn’t you want them to know?”
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