by Ancelli
“Dude what the fuck,” the bartender cleaned up Perry’s mess with a paper towel. “I’m putting this on your tab.”
“It isn’t betrayal, now, is it?” Lorie took his hand and placed it on her inner thigh, guiding it up.
Perry’s breathing hitched and the blood started pumping to his manhood.
“Whatever you do from the moment she ended things isn’t cheating.” Lorie placed his finger on her pussy.
She wasn’t wearing any panties. Perry separated her nether lips, and started playing with her pearl.
“I know you have needs…” she moaned, closing her eyes as he found her core. “You see how wet you’ve got me?” Her eyes fluttered as she gazed at him with bright eyes. “Alicia’s taking care of her needs. You should too. Come on!” She jumped off the stool.
Looking at his wet fingers, covered in her moisture, Perry’s heart raced.
“We can take care of our needs together.” Lorie grabbed his hand, and pulled him over toward the restrooms. “Just one night of sinful pleasure.”
“Hold on.” He picked up her apple martini, downed the last of it, and followed her into the bathroom, where he fucked the shit out of her. Lorie moaned so loudly he thought they would be thrown out. After they finished, and he’d sobered up a bit, he pulled up his boxers and jeans and walked out of the bathroom, leaving Lorie recovering in apparent ecstasy.
~~~
Marco’s phone rang. “Hold on a minute.” He stood, grabbing his office phone. “Hey, sweetheart. I forgot about dinner. I’m leaving the office now.”
Perry stood as well. It had been good, getting his jumbled thoughts out of his head. Having Marco back in town had been a life saver. It was great to have an outlet. These sessions weren’t between a client and a therapist; they were between two longtime friends who both needed to talk shit out. This week was Perry’s turn. Next week would be Marco’s turn.
“You forgot dinner with Milan.” Perry smirked.
“Whatever.” He started packing his bag and powering off his computer. “Sorry we had to cut this short.”
“How are Milan and the baby?” Perry remembered Alicia breaking down in his arms when they’d gotten the news that her sister had suffered a mild stroke after giving birth to her son. Milan’s right side remained a little droopy and her words were slurred at times, but she was one heck of a woman.
“Carlson is doing great. Being close to my mother-in-law has been a blessing to us.” Marco picked up his book bag. “Milan’s recovering little by little and she hates physical therapy.”
“I can imagine. Milan hates to be told what to do,” Perry said, walking over to the door, and then pulling it open.
“Those sisters are something else.” Marco chuckled. “It’s time to let go of the person holding you back from happiness.”
“I have an appointment with an attorney,” Perry mentioned. “She doesn’t know yet, but I’m starting the divorce process. No turning back.”
“Good.” Marco closed the door behind him. “See you next week. It’s you turn to listen to me.”
Chapter Two
A few days later
“Perry!” Alicia ran up the stairs after him. “Where are you going?”
He sighed, turning around. He wasn’t ready to face her. She grabbed his arm, and he twisted away.
“What the hell happened to your face?” She stared at the three long scratches on the right side of his cheek.
Lorie had slapped him with her freshly manicured nails, grazing his cheek after he’d allowed his daughters to go play in the backyard after she’d told them no. Perry touched his cheek, feeling the scabs that had formed. Last time she’d given him a black eye, and tried to run him over with his own car when he’d packed his shit up and was about to leave her. Perry had rushed out the front door with his gym bag over his shoulder. When he’d approached his car, she’d accelerated, with his baby girl sitting in her car seat. He clenched his jaw, thinking about the many times she’d lost control and taken her anger out on him. Perry knew his own strength. If he struck her back, he would undoubtedly hurt her, and then he would be the one sitting in jail, not her. It would be his word against hers.
“Perry, this has to stop.” Alicia gazed at him.
He remembered a time when her dark eyes used to sparkle as they gazed back at him. Now all he saw looking back at him was pity.
“I know you better than anyone. If you don’t do something about your wife, I will.” She pointed at his face. “Are you going to tell me that your imaginary cat did that? Or that black eye you were sporting last month was the cabinet’s fault?”
Perry’s thoughts drifted to two nights earlier. He took a deep breath, calming himself down. Perry wanted to fucking knock her ass out, but he’d been taught better than that. The side of his face stung as he touched the area. He became even angrier when he saw blood on his fingertips.
“I can’t take this anymore. I’m fucking leaving.”
“Go ahead and leave, you punk!” Lorie hollered. “But you will never see your kid again!”
Perry clenched his jaw, staring at his wife. “You can’t keep my kid away from me.” Lorie knew how much he loved his kids, and used that fact as leverage any time she could.
“Watch me.” She smirked. “Mothers always get custody. Isn’t that what happened with you and Alicia?” Lorie marched to the front door, calling his daughters. “Tiffany and Mia!” She opened the door. “Come on and say bye to your daddy.” Lorie swung the door open as the girls ran down the stairs. “Perry, go ahead and leave!”
“Daddy…please don’t go!” his youngest daughter pleaded. Tiffany pouted her lips, and tears started rolling down her rosy cheeks. She resembled both of them. Tiffany had Lorie’s golden eyes, her nose, and chin, and his own brunette hair and his lips.
“Daddy, if you leave, Mommy will make me leave, too,” Mia sadly stated, staring at him through bright hazel eyes that mirrored his own. Mia was a perfect combination of him and Alicia, but she was his mini-me, except for her complexion and tight, curly hair. “I want to spend time with my sister!” Mia took Tiffany’s hand in hers. “Don’t go…please, Daddy!” Mia twisted her head, now watching his wife. “Mrs. Lorie, please be nice to my daddy.”
His anger disappeared as soon as he saw his daughters. Perry couldn’t walk out on his little girls; he’d already fucked up with Mia. Thank God Alicia had given him a second chance to make things better with his mini-me.
Lorie placed her hand on her hip, and her whole demeanor changed. “Sweetie, I’m always nice to your daddy. He is the one being mean to me,” she said, holding the door open.
“Daddy?” Mia’s chest heaved up and down. She was about to cry, too.
He wouldn’t chicken out like his parents had. “Don’t cry.” He picked Tiffany up, and took Mia’s hand in his and began walking up the stairs. “Daddy’s not going anywhere.”
“I thought so!” Lorie sarcastically chuckled as she slammed the door.
He couldn’t continue living this way, because one day he was going to snap and end up in jail.
~~~
“Are you listening to me?” Alicia asked, concerned.
“I’m fine,” he answered, not being able to look her in the eye. “Just had a rough evening.”
“Where’s Mia?” Alicia inquired about their daughter.
“She’s with Lorie.” Perry already knew what was coming. Five, four, three…
“You left her with that bitch?” Alicia’s full lips thinned.
“She took them to the aquarium.” Perry sighed. “Mia begged me to go. She wanted to spend the day with Tiffany, and Lorie would never hurt our daughter.”
“I know she won’t, because I would fuck her up,” Alicia said with conviction.
She stared at him through dark irises, and his regret at losing her resurfaced. Why hadn’t he fought harder to keep her and his daughter? Why had he walked away from the only woman who’d had his back, even when he had nothing? He scolde
d himself, but then if Alicia had stayed, Tiffany wouldn’t have been born.
“I’ll bring her over tonight.” Perry placed his hands in his front pockets.
“That’s okay, I’ll pick her up. If you let Lorie continue to treat you like shit, you are going to explode, and then your girls will be left without a dad.”
“I would never touch a woman,” Perry answered sternly. “You don’t have to worry about me not being there for our daughter.”
“You didn’t have a problem leaving me.” Alicia raised an eyebrow. “Why can’t you walk out on her?”
“We’re married. It’s not that easy,” he said, inching away from her.
“As easy as it was with me?” Alicia whispered.
“Alicia, what you and I had was different.” He stared at her. “As I recall, you left me. You threw me and what we shared out in the front yard. I begged you to forgive my fuck-up, and you wouldn’t even hear me out. You took a fucking job in another state and left with my daughter!” He raised his voice. “I didn’t…” he didn’t finish what he was about to say, that he hadn’t wanted to marry Lorie, but he couldn’t afford to lose another child. He took a deep breath, and reframed his thoughts. “You didn’t use our daughter as a pawn in our relationship.”
“I did hear you out, and I wanted to rebuild what we had, but you neglected to mention that you got another woman pregnant the freaking minute you walked out that door and picked up your shit.” She still sounded hurt. “We weren’t technically together, but it hurt me.” Alicia just stared at him. “I guess you didn’t love me enough.”
“I loved you too much,” he replied, gazing at her. It was obvious they were both still in agony over their loss. He could never fall out of love with her. “Alicia…what wouldn’t I give to take back that fucking drunken night?” He went to touch her cheek, but decided not to. “You think I wanted a child with another woman that wasn’t you? Don’t ever question my love for you.”
“Don’t.” She sighed. “You married her after what, two minutes, and we were together nine years…” Alicia paused, and then raised her hands in the air. “I’m sorry I even brought up the past. It doesn’t matter anymore,” she said, with a smirk on her lips.
He knew that look; she was up to no good. Perry watched her closely. In spite of what she’d said, it did matter, because they both loved each other.
“I have to go,” she continued. “Are you still picking up Mia on Friday?”
“Yes, I’m taking her and Tiffany to dinner and a movie. Just me and my girls.” Perry crackled his knuckles.
“Good, because I have a date.” She smiled.
“With who?” Perry watched her walk down the steps to her car.
“Byron, the guy I introduced you to.” Alicia waved her hand at him.
Perry bit the inside of his cheek. He didn’t want to imagine someone else making love to Alicia. And besides, he didn’t have the right to be jealous. He was fucking married to Lorie. Perry continued on his way to his attorney’s office. One way or another, he was going to get back the happiness he once had.
Chapter Three
Alicia took a sip of her lemonade as Byron spoke about his morning and the things he had planned for them on Friday, but she was too busy thinking about Perry to care about his grand plans for Friday. She hated to see Perry so vulnerable: that wasn’t who he was. Each time she saw him, it was like a piece of him was being broken. She tapped her fingernails on the table. Alicia disliked Perry’s so-called wife with every fiber of her being. Lorie was the reason for their relationship’s ultimate failure. He’d only married her because Alicia had convinced him to, and up to this day, she regretted what she’d said. She could see the love he still felt for her when he gazed into her eyes, and every time their eyes met, she became wet with arousal. She couldn’t stop loving him even if she tried. Perry was a part of her soul, a part she never wanted to let go.
“Alicia.” Byron tapped her arm, making her turn to watch him. “Are you listening to me?”
“Yes.” She picked up her fork and ate a bite of her mashed potatoes. Byron resembled the rapper Nelly, just a bit. They’d hit it off from the moment they’d met, but now she wasn’t sure if it would work between them. He still hadn’t met Mia, and she wanted to keep it that way until she was sure that he was going to be a permanent fixture in her life.
“What’s going on?” he asked, concerned. “You’ve been distant since you got here.”
“I’m worried about Perry.” She answered honestly. “Something is off—”
Byron cut her off not allowing her to finish her sentence. “I’m talking about taking you to a nice hotel and you’re thinking about your ex. Really?” He leaned back with his lips thinned. “Interesting.”
Alicia moved in closer to him. “Before he became the father of my child and ex, he was and is my friend. I asked you if you would have a problem with that fact and your answer was no, because you get that there will always be a connection a bond between him and me, because of our child. I don’t question you about Helen.” Byron was jealous of Perry and with good reason, but she wouldn’t act on her feelings toward her ex. That ship had sailed.
“I don’t have a problem with him being your friend, Alicia.” He stared at her through dark irises. “But why does he always have to come up in conversations?”
“You asked me a question and I answered. Would you rather I lied?” She moved back in her seat. “I’ve always been honest with you and I expect the same from you.”
Byron grabbed his chicken leg and took a bite. Watching her through scrutinizing eyes, he chewed and swallowed. “You have a good man right in front of you, and for some reason you can’t seem to see it.”
“I know you’re a good man, Byron.” She crossed her arms over her chest and his eyes instantly followed her movement. Would he ever tire of ogling her breasts? “See, that’s our problem. You’re always thinking about sex.”
“Do you blame me?” He touched her knee under the table. “You’re addicting. I have to thank whoever taught you some of those tricks.”
Alicia cocked an eyebrow. What kind of statement was that? How many men did he think she’d been with before him?
“Am I better than—”
“Are you insane?” It was Alicia’s turn to cut him off as she raised her voice. “What kind of question is that?”
He chuckled. “You said we should be honest with each other and our feelings. The question has crossed my mind, many times, when your eyes roll to the back of your head.”
Alicia glared at him. Was he actually serious right now? If she answered him truthfully, his ego would be bruised. Byron was good, but not as good as her first love. The grass was definitely not greener on the other side. Just because a dick was bigger didn’t mean it was better. She’d been very happy with Perry’s eight inches. One time, they had been bored, lying in bed, and Alicia had measured his shaft with a ruler. She sighed. Being bored in bed…that was how she’d learned the art of sex, through him. Perry was always patient, especially the first time she’d tried to give him a blowjob. Alicia had grazed his skin with her teeth, making him moan in pain instead of pleasure. He never complained, not once. He’d guided her until she perfected her technique.
She took another sip of her drink, feeling her ears burn with embarrassment. “Then next time you see Perry, you should thank him yourself. Though I’m not sure you’ll like his reaction to you disrespecting me.”
Byron’s smile disappeared, to be replaced by a frown. Alicia stood, grabbing her purse from beside her, and dug into it. She pulled out two twenty-dollar bills from her wallet, and placed them in the middle of the table. “Lunch is on me.”
He grabbed her wrist. “Come on. I was just playing around. You can get mad at my questions, but I can’t be concerned that you’re thinking of your ex while you’re out with me.”
“Here’s the difference: I’m actually concerned for his safety.” She pulled back her arm. “Those questions are uncalled
for. I haven’t asked you if I was better than your past partners, because I don’t care.” She really didn’t. Before they’d taken their barely-there relationship to the next level, she’d made him go to the clinic and get tested, regardless of the fact that she made him wear a rubber, each and every time.
He grinned. “You are the best I’ve ever had.”
“Do you think that makes me feel special?” Alicia was now aggravated. “Look, I have to pick up my daughter.”
“I’ll pick you up on Friday night.” Byron continued eating.
“Don’t bother.” She turned, leaving the restaurant. He definitely wasn’t the best in her book, which consisted of only two people: Byron and Perry. She’d messed around with a couple of guys that had given her head, but she’d never let them go any further. Alicia had begun dating Byron because she was lonely and they had a few things in common. He was a nice guy, but he wasn’t her forever. Breaking up was inevitable between them, only a matter of time.
Her thoughts returned to Perry. Alicia was fed up with the way he was being treated. She remembered the first time she’d seen Perry from across the counter. His hair was tapered on the sides and the front was longer, covering the scar above his eyebrow. His piercing eyes stared back at her, causing her to catch her breath. They were hazel with a touch of blue-green. It was the intensity in his irises and the way he licked his lips as he watched her talk to the grouchy old man. Alicia had had to compose herself before talking to him then. It wasn’t her intention to sound rude, when she’d asked him if he was just going to stand there.
Perry wasn’t perfectly handsome. He was rough around the edges, but his imperfections made him sexy in her eyes. He hadn’t changed much during the years, except his hair was shorter in the front. He had become her best friend back then and despite their breakup, he was so much more now. Even with everything that had happened between them, she still loved him. That was her biggest issue being around him: her heart wanted what it wanted, but her common sense stopped her from acting on her feelings. And besides, he was a married man.