“Girl, please. These are from Jonathan.”
Jackie’s eyes widened and Audrey’s mouth dropped. “Don’t tell me you and him . . .” Jackie said.
“No, Jackie. Yesterday, he forgot about Secretary’s Day and he made it up to me today.”
“Shit, I wish he’d make it up to me,” Audrey said. “With something else, of course.”
“Don’t we all,” Jackie agreed. “Sylvia, you are so lucky. If he were my boss, it would be on! I know his wife is a good friend of yours, but how do you keep yourself from going in there and ripping off his clothes?”
“Trust me, it’s hard, but y’all know Jonathan don’t mess around like that. If he did, we’d all be running around here with wet panties on. If y’all looking for action like that, I suggest y’all find Lewis. He’s sharing with everybody these days.”
Audrey cleared her throat and looked at Jackie. “He sure is, isn’t he, Miss ‘I’m not even feeling him like that’ knowing damn well she was.”
“Jackie, no,” I said in awe. “You didn’t, did you?”
She rolled her eyes at Audrey then looked at me. “I was curious, okay?”
“Curiosity killed the cat, and a dick like that can damn sure kill the woman. What in the hell were you thinking?” I questioned.
She threw her hand back at me. “Girl, I don’t know. I got caught up, I guess. Caught up in that sizzling, hot sex he be dishing out.”
I folded my arms and pursed my lips. “Don’t tell me because I don’t even want to know.”
“Yes, you do, Sylvia.”
“No, I don’t.”
“Yes, you do,” Jackie said, again. “Doesn’t she, Audrey? She’d wanna know about this, wouldn’t she?”
“Yeah, you would,” Audrey said, looking at me as if it were interesting.
“Fine, go ahead and tell me.” I laughed.
Audrey and Jackie moved in closer to me, and just when Jackie started to tell me about the strawberry gel he slurped up between her legs, Jonathan opened the door and cleared his throat. They spoke to him and quickly walked away.
“Sylvia,” he said in a stern tone. “Where’s the file on the Anderson case?”
I walked to the file cabinet to get it. “Thanks for the flowers, Jonathan. One dozen would have been enough for me to forgive you.”
He took the file from my hand then went back into his office and closed the door.
Since today was Wednesday, normally he’d be in a better mood. I could tell things were getting a bit more complicated between him and Dana because his bad days were starting to outnumber his good days.
As I was typing and trying to think of something I could do to repay him for the flowers, I looked up and saw Crissy coming my way. She was one white girl I hated to see coming. Prissy Crissy was what I called her because she acted as if her shit didn’t stink. She was always looking down on people, and I assumed that she couldn’t wait until her father kicked the bucket so she could take over the company.
So, there she was swinging her blond long hair from side to side, sticking out her breast implants, as if they were really hers, and moving her flat, pancake ass from side to side. By the time she reached my desk, I leaned down, picked up some paper, and pretended as if I didn’t see her. She hummed so she could get my attention, and when I didn’t lift my head, she slammed her briefcase on my desk.
“Shanequa,” she yelled.
“Sha what?” I shot back at her, and then sat up in my chair. I didn’t care if she would someday be the boss or not. I treated people the same way they treated me. “It’s Sylvia, Crusty, so get it right.”
“Crissy,” she said. “Crissy Duncan and I’m here to see Jonathan this morning.”
I looked at Jonathan’s calendar and didn’t see her name. “Darn, I guess you’re out of luck, Crusty. Your meeting is not on his calendar, and he throws a fit when I try to squeeze people in.”
“Listen, Shanana, if you’d just tell Jonathan I’m here to see him, I’d appreciate it. I already talked to him yesterday so do your damn job and get him for me, please.”
“For the last time it’s Syl-ve-a, bitch! Can you pronounce that? If not, I’ll be willing to walk you through it again.”
“You are such an evil bitch,” she said, snatching her briefcase off my desk. She walked over to Jonathan’s door and knocked.
“I am a bitch, Crissy. One who will mess you up if you keep coming in here disrespecting me.”
Jonathan opened his door and smiled at Crissy.
“Gimmie gimmie hugs,” she said, wrapping her arms around him and pressing her implants against his chest. His eyebrows rose as he looked over her shoulder and grinned at me. I rolled my eyes.
Crissy was in Jonathan’s office for about two hours. When they came out he said they were going to lunch and told me he’d be back by one o’clock. I reminded him about my lunch plans with Dana and told him I’d see him when I got back.
When Dana came in, I put the finishing touches on a letter I’d typed for Jonathan. She was on her cell phone, but when she saw all the flowers at my desk, she told whoever she was talking to she’d have to call them back. Her eyes searched the flowers and she stood with much attitude.
“I know he is not responsible for all these flowers.”
“Well, I sure in the hell ain’t responsible, so let’s go, I’m hungry.”
“I can’t believe him,” she said, standing with her mouth open.
“Get over it, Dana.”
“Get over it my tail, Sylvia! I don’t like this mess at all. Is he in his office?”
“No, he’s at lunch.”
“With who?”
“With Prissy Crissy.”
“I’ll be sure to confront him about this later. A few dozen are fine, but he don’t need to go all out for you like this.”
“Chile, jealousy will get you nowhere. Now, my stomach is calling me all kinds of bad words for not putting nothing into it. Can we go?”
We walked toward the elevator and Dana continued to rant about the flowers. As we stood waiting for the elevator to open, Lewis came out of the men’s restroom and saw us. I turned my head, but, of course, Dana had to get his attention.
“Hey,” she said, twirling her fingers in the air and waving. He smiled and walked up to her. Before he said anything, he looked around to see if anyone was near. Noticing that there wasn’t, he put his arms around Dana’s waist and kissed her cheek.
“Say, baby,” he said. “Damn, you’re smelling good.”
She blushed and backed away from him. “It’s Issey Miyake. And thanks, but why didn’t you return my phone call yesterday?”
As the elevator opened, I wanted to tell her that he hadn’t returned it because he was too busy fucking Jackie. But when I turned around, Lewis had pulled Dana over to the door that led to the staircase and opened it. She looked at me and shrugged. “I’ll meet you downstairs in about ten minutes.”
“Twenty minutes,” he said, as he continued to pull her by the arm.
“Look,” I said with anger visible on my face. “When you get finished just meet me at CJ’s across the street. If you show, fine. If you don’t, that’s not a problem either.”
Disgusted, I pushed the down button on the elevator and went to CJ’s by myself. I asked the waiter to seat me for two, just in case Dana decided to show. No sooner had I sat down, I noticed Jonathan and Crissy at another table having lunch. I was sure he hadn’t seen me, and hoped that if he did, he wouldn’t come over and ask where Dana was.
When the waiter came back, I ordered a salad and some hot wings. Twenty minutes had gone by and Dana was still a no-show. I looked at Jonathan, as he and Crissy seemed to be wrapping things up. And right when he stood up and walked toward the door to leave, then Dana came in. She looked startled to see him, and after they embraced each other, they headed my way.
“I didn’t know you were in here, Sylvia,” Jonathan said, pulling the chair back for Dana to sit.
“I just got
here moments ago,” I said. Jonathan watched as the waiter put the wings and salad on the table.
“Oh, I see your lunch buddy finally made it,” the waiter said, looking at Dana. “Your friend was about to have lunch without you.”
“I, uh, got caught up in traffic,” Dana said. “She knew I was coming.”
Jonathan glared at me for a few seconds, and then he leaned down to give Dana a kiss. She put her hand in front of his face. “We need to talk about those flowers later, okay,” she said.
He ignored her, moved her hand away from his face, and kissed her cheek. “We’ll talk about the flowers, baby, for sure. And as soon as we finish that conversation, we’re going to talk about that cheap-ass men’s cologne I smell all over you right now.”
Dana cocked her head back, I covered my mouth, and Jonathan walked away. I took a sip of my iced tea and shook my head.
“Your time is running out! I hope you’ve planned a life absent from Jonathan.”
Dana laid a napkin neatly in her lap. “Sylvia, Jonathan isn’t going anywhere. Tonight, I’m going to tell him I was at the mall sampling some men’s cologne for him.”
“That’s not going to work because the key word he said was ‘cheap.’ He knows damn well you ain’t out sampling no cheap cologne for him. Not only that, but you look like you just got fucked. Your hair all out of place, your lipstick gone, and that outfit you have on got more wrinkles than an eighty-year-old white woman’s face.”
Dana let out a deep sigh. “Is it really that obvious?”
“Yes. And I’m afraid to get any closer because I’m sure after screwing Lewis that coochie is clowning.”
“Girl, stop. For your information, Lewis adds extreme excitement to my life. He’s not only handsome but he’s creative, he’s spontaneous, and he can make me come faster than any man I’ve ever been with.”
“If I can recall, a few years back, you were saying the same thing about Jonathan. It seems to me that the problem ain’t with the man; it’s with you.”
“Maybe, or maybe not. But I try very hard to keep my sex life spiced up with Jonathan. He’s magnificent in bed, but we’re always on his time. Sometimes, I can’t wait for him to come home and make love to me. When he does, he’s either too tired from working, or he goes right into his office and works there for the night. I get tired of putting myself out there for him. Just last week, I lit some candles in the bedroom, put on some soft music, stripped naked, and waited for him to come home. When he did, he turned on the lights, looked at me like I was out of my mind, and said his famous words: ‘not tonight.’”
“He’s acting that way, Dana, because he ain’t no fool. Deep down he knows you’ve been seeing someone else. You’re lucky he’s still having sex with you at all. Besides, Jonathan doesn’t seem like the type of man to go behind another man.”
“I wish you would stop being on the outside looking in, because that’s all you’re doing. Nobody understands what I’m going through but me. I love Jonathan, but I’m not giving up on my relationship with Lewis until some things change.”
“Well, you need to get Lewis to change. Since the last time I talked to you, he’s added two new women to his collection and the strawberry gel might be running a little low.”
Dana looked surprised that I knew about the strawberry gel. Also, she could tell I wasn’t lying because I had a feeling as if she’d been there and done that with Lewis before. After my breaking news, there were no more comments about Lewis from her. But I found myself rushing through lunch so I could get back to the office and see if Jonathan would mention anything about Dana. I quickly downed my dessert, told Dana I would call her later, and jetted.
Surprisingly, when I got back to the office, Lewis was in Jonathan’s office talking to him. I poked my head in to let Jonathan know I was back.
“Come on in, Sylvia,” Jonathan said. “And close the door behind you.”
I closed the door and stood behind the chair that Lewis sat in. First, Jonathan looked at Lewis, and then he addressed me. “Sylvia, my man here was just telling me about you not making an appointment for him yesterday. Now, you clearly heard me tell him to make an appointment so why would you not do it?”
“Because Lewis has an attitude problem, and I don’t appreciate the way he talks to me, that’s why.”
“So, I guess Crissy has an attitude problem as well?”
“Yes, she does.”
“Just because you seem to think certain people around here have attitudes, that doesn’t mean you interfere with them seeing me. Last night, I made an important appointment with Crissy, and I’m trying to help this brotha move up the corporate ladder. So, the next time I get a complaint about your attitude, it’s going to cost you.”
I couldn’t believe how Jonathan had put me on blast, and I hated to go there with him like this. “Fine, Jonathan, and help whoever you want to help, that’s your business. But Crissy, Lewis, or any other fool up in here will not come to my desk and disrespect me. You don’t pay me enough to put up with bullshit and I’m not going to do it.” I swung around and stormed toward the door, opening it.
“Sylvia,” Jonathan shouted. “Close the door. I’m not finished talking to you yet.”
“Yes, you are,” I said and then walked out.
Feeling as if I was ready to kill somebody, I quickly gathered a few things at my desk and left. There I was trying to protect Jonathan and he had the nerve to diss me in front of that stupid fool Lewis. And the “that’s what you get, bitch” look Lewis gave me as Jonathan talked was enough to send me over the edge. It took everything I had not to blurt out him fucking around with Dana, but as usual, I refused to go there.
By the time I reached the highway, Jonathan called me on my cell phone. I turned it off and laid it back down on the seat. When I got home, I called Lorenzo so I’d have something to tear into, but unfortunately for me, the sex wasn’t even worth it. I needed something better, and there was only one man who could give me what I really needed.
4
JONATHAN
Sylvia was out of her mind walking out on me today. After I wrapped up my conversation with Lewis, I called her cell phone and later tried her several times at home. Getting no response, I went into my four o’clock meeting and wasn’t out until seven.
I was in no rush to go home and see Dana because I knew my argument with her was probably going to last all night. She was seriously working my nerves. There was no way for me to sweep her lies under the rug as if they didn’t even exist. She put the evidence of a cheating woman out there and she seemed to be purposely doing so. She had to know her lies weren’t adding up, and if she thought I believed her, she was out of her mind.
After sitting in CJ’s for about an hour enjoying several drinks, Audrey came over and sat next to me at the bar.
“I hope I didn’t take anybody’s seat,” she said with a smile.
“No, hey, it’s anybody’s seat who wants it.”
“Good, because I’m claiming it.”
I took a sip of my cognac and looked over at Audrey’s tall and thin light brown legs. “So what’s a nice looking woman like you doing in a place like this on a Wednesday night?”
“I was waiting on one of my girlfriends to join me, but she stood me up. And when I saw you sitting at the bar, I decided to hang around for a while. Question is, though, what’s a handsome man like you doing here all alone?”
“Well, I’m just about to wrap this up.” I gulped down the last of my drink.
“Do you have any plans after you wrap this up?”
“As a matter of fact, I do.”
“Would you be willing to cancel your plans and meet me at my place in about an hour?”
Again, I looked at Audrey’s beautiful legs, visualized them high on my shoulders, and thought about her thick, juicy lips going up and down on my dick. When I remembered Sylvia telling me about Audrey’s previous sex partner, I declined, not wanting to be the morning news.
“Audrey, I�
�m married. Besides, you shouldn’t be putting yourself out there for a married man.”
“If I know he’s not happy I will. And you, my dear, are far from it.”
I stood up and Audrey stood up as well. I didn’t bother to elaborate on her comment because she wasn’t worth my time. “Where are you parked?” I asked. “It’s late and I’d like to walk you to your car.”
After I paid the bartender, I walked with Audrey to her car. On a piece of paper, she wrote directions to her place and her phone number. She told me if I changed my mind to stop by.
Having no desire to go home, I called Sylvia’s place, again, to see if I could reach her. The number was still busy so I figured she must have taken her phone off the hook. Trying to calm things down before work tomorrow, I drove by her place to see her. Her car was parked outside, but as I walked to the door, I could see that the inside of her house was dark. I knocked for a while, and as soon as I turned to leave, an overly muscular brotha opened the door with a towel wrapped around his waist.
“May I help you?” he said in a deep, strong voice.
“Hi, is . . . is, uh, Sylvia here?”
“Yeah, she here,” he said, stepping away from the door so I could come in.
I stepped in and stood by the door after he closed it. He went into Sylvia’s bedroom, and moments later, she came out with a royal blue silk robe on that was cut above her knees. She tied it tightly around her waist and looked at me as I stood by the front door.
“Hey, I . . . I can come back if—”
“Jonathan, have a seat,” she said, sitting on the arm of the couch.
“Are you sure? I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“You didn’t. We’re finished and he’s getting ready to go.”
Moments after I took a seat, the man came out of Sylvia’s room fully clothed. He stood in front of her and opened his arms. As they embraced and kissed, he massaged her ass. He then patted it and told her he’d call her tomorrow. Before he left, he said good night to me and closed the door behind him.
Sylvia returned to her spot on the arm of the couch. She crossed her legs and gathered her robe together so I couldn’t see her healthy breasts.
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