I chuckled lightly. “Yeah, definitely.”
“Did you want to go out tonight? I had plans, but they were suddenly canceled.”
“I can’t; Vivica asked if I could come by the house. She needs my help with a DIY project.”
“You think I could tag along?”
I had to think of something quick. She couldn't find out about Mark and me.
“You don’t like DIYs.”
“I know, but I’m bored. I’m off from both jobs, and I’m not used to being at home.”
“I won’t be gone for long. When I come back, we can do the girls’ night in like we'd planned before.”
Her eyes lit up. “Okay. Call me before you head back, so I can set everything up.”
I nodded with a smile then got up, went to my room, and closed the door. I pulled out my phone to let Mark know that there had been a change of plans and that I couldn’t make it. He replied, asking if everything was okay, and I told him about Simone. After much convincing, I told him to meet me at Mikki’s Soul Food Restaurant near the house. He wondered why we couldn’t go to the place he wanted to take me, but I figured since he chose the place last time, it was my turn.
I quickly dressed in a pair of jean capris and a sleeveless green shirt and told Simone I’d be back. When I pulled into the parking lot 15 minutes later, I saw that Mark was already there.
“Wow, how'd you beat me here?”
“I was already out. I can’t believe you were trying to bail on me; I’m truly hurt by that,” he teased with a playful pout.
I laughed.“Please, you would have been okay.”
“If you hadn't come, I would have come by the house and saw you. I need my daily fix of you.”
“Technically, you had it this morning.”
“That wasn’t enough. Besides, now I can freely do this,” he said then kissed me. I leaned back against my car as his hand crept to my thigh. He grabbed me, then reached underneath my shirt, which both surprised and aroused me. He pulled back and shook his head.
“We’re taking things slow,” he reminded himself and me.
“Yes, we are, but I don’t see a problem with a little touching.”
“It could lead to other things.”
“We should be able to control ourselves.”
“That’s true, but I don’t think either of us want to.”
“You’re right, but when the right time comes, it’ll be worth it.”
“It sure will.”
When we walked away from my car, he gently grabbed my hand. I wore a big smile as we walked into the restaurant. We went up to the counter to see what was on today’s menu.
“Since you’ve been here, what is your favorite dish?” he asked me.
“The pork chops are really good, so you should try that.”
He nodded as someone came to take our order. We ordered then sat and waited for our plates.
“So, what did you want to talk about?” I asked.
“I was hoping we could talk about our pasts. I told you about Maya, but you've never said anything your last boyfriend.”
“Why do I need to?”
“Because we’re getting to know each other. I know we haven’t been dating long, but if we are going to be serious eventually, we need to be able to talk about it.”
I sighed. I really didn’t want to talk about Hamilton, but since he was honest about Maya, I guess I should do the same.
When our food arrived, we went to a table near the window and sat down. I cleared my throat before speaking.
“There was this one guy I had a long relationship with. We were together for three years and were in love with each other. Or so I thought. We talked about getting married, buying a house together, and having kids. I even introduced him to my family.
“Although things were good between us, I always had a feeling and a thought in the back of mind that something was off. He never wanted me to accompany him to work functions or his family events.
“The pieces of the puzzle finally came together when I was out with my dad and Vivica and saw him walk in with this beautiful woman. She was statuesque, with honey brown hair that fell to her back; I’m sure it was a weave. But anyway, she had a nice body and the most piercing brown eyes ever. I saw him, but he didn’t see me until my dad called him over to our table. He was embarrassed and scared to come; that’s when I knew I was the woman he didn’t want anyone to know about.
“Come to find out, that woman was his wife. They’ve been together for 10 years; they got married after they graduated from college. They have a child, too; a two-year-old who's name is, get this, Vanessa.”
“Wow, what an asshole,” Mark hissed.
“I felt so low that night. To realize that I’d been sleeping with a married man for three years was bad enough, but the sickest part of it all was that he named his daughter after me.”
“Wow, V, that’s unbelievable. I’m sorry he put you through that.”
“I didn’t date anymore after that. Simone tried hooking me up with guys, but I couldn’t go through with it. I couldn’t trust anyone after that.”
“So why did you trust me?”
I took his hand into mine and stared into his eyes. “Because, for some reason, I just feel I'm able to. I feel comfortable around you.”
He smiled.“I’m glad you feel that way, because that’s how I feel about you.”
We continued gazing at each other until an employee came by the table to ask if we needed anything. We said no, then I slowly began eating. I knew I should have told him that Hamilton was also my boss, but I’d leave that part out for now.
We were still eating when Mark suddenly stopped and cleared his throat. I looked up, wondering if something was wrong.
“Is everything okay?” I asked.
“Yeah, everything’s fine. I was wondering, though, why you want to hide the fact that we're dating from Simone. I’m sure she would be cool with it.”
“Not exactly.”
“Why?”
“There’s a reason; so right now, we should just play it cool around her. The less she knows, the better.”
Mark looked confused as he took a sip of his drink. I sighed and finished eating. I knew this was going to be an issue, but it was something he'd have to respect.
***
After we finished, Mark insisted that he follow me home. I really didn’t want him to, but before I knew it, he was trailing behind me. I didn’t have a problem with him coming to the house, but if Simone knew that I voided my promise, she wouldn’t let me hear the end of it for days. That’s something I didn’t want or need right now.
I pulled up to the house and saw Hamilton’s car next to the curb.
“It can’t be,” I whispered.
I looked in my rear view mirror and saw Mark getting out of his truck. I quickly got out of my car and went to him.
“I really had a nice evening,” I told him.
“I did, too. I really think you need to talk to Simone, though.”
“I will, tonight.”
“Okay. Well, I’ll let you get to it. See you tomorrow.”
I smiled as he leaned over and kissed me. He smiled before getting back into his truck.
I waited until he left then ran to Hamilton’s car. I banged on the window, and he slowly rolled it down.
“Who was that?” he asked.
“None of your business! What the hell are you doing here?!”
“I said I would come visit you, but you didn’t believe me.”
“You shouldn’t be here!”
“Why? Don’t want your papi chulo to see me here?” he said and laughed. He got out of the car and stood in front of me with a smirk.
“You’re ignorant, you know that?!”
“Is that another reason you’re working at Suds? To sleep with the help? How low can you possibly go, Vanessa?”
“He’s a better man than you’ll ever be. And shouldn’t you be at home with your wife and daughter instead of trying
to get back with me? What we had is over, so get rid of any thoughts in your head that I’ll come back to you. You’re married, Hamilton! Not to mention the fact that you gave your company to people who had no intention of hiring your former employees to the merged company. Plus, you’re having me blackballed so I can’t find a job, and now you’re trying to tell me who I can and cannot date?! My God, you’re a jerk!”
“What is going on out here?!” Simone exclaimed, sprinting down the driveway. She saw Hamilton’s car and immediately grabbed a baseball bat from the garage. She ran to his car then began busting out the windshield.
“What the fuck?!” he yelled as she moved to the driver’s side. Glass shattered inside the car and onto the street; she went to the back window and started hitting it.
“Get her, Vanessa!” Hamilton yelled as she moved over to the passenger side. She busted the window then turned to him.
“I told your no-good, sorry ass to leave my house, and you didn’t listen, so this is what you get. Now, you better get back in your car and leave my property, now!”
Hamilton was enraged and tried to come after Simone, but I noticed that Mark had him in a chokehold, and he was writhing in pain.
“What…the…hell…is…your…problem?” Hamilton struggled to ask.
I knew I had to stop Mark when I saw Hamilton’s face turning a light shade of blue. I rushed over and tried to pull him off of Hamilton.
“Mark, that’s enough!”I yelled.
Mark looked at him with his balled fists, ready to deck him when Hamilton got in his face. Mark shoved him, and Simone and I tried to control them. I noticed a crowd slowly forming outside, meaning we needed to end this before the cops showed up.
“You heard the lady; leave, now!” Mark exclaimed.
Hamilton was about to say something when Simone picked up her bat. He opened his car door and glanced at the three of us.
“You will be hearing from my lawyer soon, you crazy bitch!” he said to Simone.
“Bring it! I know plenty of lawyers, too!”
He looked at me with a smirk. “Don’t think you’ve see the last of me. You’ll see me again when you least expect it.”
I just looked at him as he shook his head and closed the door, then asked, “How am I supposed to get home?”
“You figure that out, just as long as you’re not here to do so,” Simone answered.
He sighed, grabbed his phone from his pocket, and walked to the end of the street.
While the bystanders went back into their homes, Simone looked from Mark to me and exhaled. “I don’t know where the hell you came from, but I appreciate it.”
“No problem. I was in the area, and I was just stopping by. I was coming to ask about Friday,” he said, looking at me. His eyes asked me to play along, and I mouthed “thank you”.
“What about Friday? And you could have asked us at work,” Simone quipped, putting her hands on her hips.
Mark playfully rolled his eyes and sighed. “Before I ask, I have to know, what was that? You busting people’s windows out. Was that an ex of yours?”
Simone glanced at me before looking at Mark. “He’s a jackass who was trying to talk to me about my cousin. She’s not speaking to him, so he was asking if I could talk to her for him. After what he's done to her, I don't want him near her or even me for that matter. That’s why I went ballistic.”
“He could have called the cops on you.”
“He wouldn’t have. Besides, he was on my property threatening me, so he deserved it.”
“Well, you did a job on his car. Damn,” Mark said. He whistled, surveying the damage.
“Now that’s over and done, what did you want to ask us?” Simone asked.
“I was seeing if you wanted to come out with me and a couple of co-workers to Club Tropicana on Friday. We’re sort of celebrating my new business.”
I smiled as Simone's eyes widened, “Wow,” she exclaimed. “Congratulations, Mark! So you won’t be at Suds anymore?”
“Maybe not, but we’ll see.”
“Well, of course we’ll go out with y’all. You know I love to hang out with the Suds crew, but only on one condition: You have to come see me perform on Saturday.”
“That won’t be a problem, Simone.”
“I can’t wait to go out, especially since the club is closed for a private party Friday; so I needed something to do.”
“I’m glad I can be of service. Anyway, I really think I should stay here tonight. I don’t know if your cousin’s ex will try and come back. He could try to retaliate.”
“And this bat will be waiting for him if he does,” Simone declared.
“I think you've done enough damage, Simone. And I’m staying.”
“You really don’t have to, Mark. I don’t think he’ll be bothering us again,” I interjected.
“Maybe not, but I'd feel better if I stayed .”
You don’t – ”
“Just stay in the guest room, Mark. You’re probably right anyway. He’ll probably come back with his posse of businessmen and staple us to death,” Simone joked with a chuckle.
Mark and I looked at Simone like she was crazy, and she sighed. “I know; that was a bad joke.”
“Yes, it was,” Mark said, laughing.
Mark went to park his truck in the driveway, and I nervously bit my nails, wondering how this was going to play out. With him spending the night here, we'd definitely be heading into dangerous territory.
Mark
After witnessing Simone busting out the windows of some random man’s car, I knew it would be wise to go along with Vanessa’s request of not telling her about us. I still think Vanessa should tell her, but it should be on a day when Simone is more level-headed.
I looked at Vanessa, who looked nervous about me being here.
“You sure your truck will be okay?” she managed to ask.
“I’m not worried about my truck or him. He's stupid if he tries anything.”
“I’ll make sure everything is set up in the guest room. No one usually stays in there,” Simone said.
“It’s fine, Simone. All I was going to do is watch some TV then go to sleep.”
I looked at Vanessa, who was unaware that she was seductively biting her bottom lip. What I wouldn’t do to touch those lips right now.
“Okay, well make yourself at home.” Simone told me, interrupting my thoughts. “There’s some leftover chicken and greens and beer in the fridge. Of course, there’s a TV in the guest room and extra towels in the guest bath. After everything that's happened, I’m going to sleep. You can lock up, V.”
“Yeah, sure,” she replied nervously.
We all walked into the house, and Simone immediately headed to her room and closed the door. I stared at Vanessa as she wrung her hands.
“You don’t have to be nervous around me,” I assured her.
“I know, but honestly, I don’t know how I’ll react to you being here.”
“Just be normal. I don’t bite,” I said, stepping closer to her. My lips gently grazed her ear, and she shivered.
“Unless you want me to,” I whispered. I nibbled the top of her ear, and her hand moved to my chest. I smiled as she looked into my eyes, then I walked away, to the guest room. I went in and leaned against the door, wondering if I should bring up my suspicions about the guy from earlier. I didn't believe Simone’s story, so hopefully, Vanessa would come clean about who he really was.
***
Once I went back to my truck to retrieve my gym bag with my extra clothes, I tried to relax in the guest bed and watch some TV. I knew I needed to go to sleep, but I couldn’t. All I could think about was Vanessa and how she was in the next room. I put my hands behind my head, trying to get comfortable. It worked for a short time, but soon I was restless again.
I got up and went to the kitchen to get a bottled water. When I closed the fridge, I saw Vanessa standing near the island, wearing only a pink tank with a matching pair of boy shorts. I looked her o
ver, trying not to be turned on, but she looked extremely sexy.
Her eyes met mine after her eyes scanned my body. A That's when I remembered I only had my sleep pants on.
“I-I d-d-idn’t know you were in here. I was just getting some water,” she stuttered. Her eyes never left my chest as I walked to her. The kitchen was completely dark except for the light coming through the window. I held her, noticing the softness of her skin.
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