“Where are you off to so fast?” I asked.
“Check my calendar, Miss Secretary,” he said, standing closely behind me. “I’m almost late for my seven forty-five meeting.” He moved my arm from the doorway and placed my hand on his dick. “Do you see what those red panties you got on do to me?”
I squeezed his steel, then let go and moved aside for him to exit. “Later, I’m going to let you feel what it is that you do to me, instead of telling you,” I whispered.
Jonathan smacked his notepad against his hand. “I can’t wait.”
He walked off and I watched as he opened the door to the boardroom.
I was on a serious high thinking about Jonathan and didn’t know how in the hell I would ever come down. For today being Monday, this was normally a moody day for him. I was glad to see things starting to look up for him.
Not being able to concentrate on a darn thing, but writing down what I wanted from Jonathan, I took a break and went downstairs to get a bagel. When I saw Lewis standing in line at the bagel shop, I started to leave but I stood with my arms folded and pretended not to see him. After he got his order, he turned around and noticed me. He grinned, and then took a seat at one of the tables close by the door. On my way out, he reached for my hand. I quickly snatched away.
“Don’t touch me,” I hissed.
“Damn, baby. You know you be too hard on a brotha. I just wanted to tell you it was over between your girl and me. Therefore, me and you can hook up now—that’s if you want to.”
He winked and I seriously could have spit in his face. “What is with you, fool? Do you really think I’m interested in your stupid ass?”
He snickered, and then bit into his bagel sandwich. After he chewed, he reached for a napkin and wiped his mouth. “Yep,” he said then nodded. “Someday you’re going to apologize for disrespecting me. And when I fuck you, and I’m only going to only fuck you once, please don’t go falling in love with me like your friend did.”
“Love? Please. Negro, all you were was convenient to her. Just like you’re only a convenient fuck for any woman in this place who’s looking for something free. Sooner or later, your giveaways are going to run out. Mr. T would like to see you in his office around three-thirty today. Come prepared, and the next time you put your gotdamn hands on me, suggesting that I want you, please, think again.”
I walked away and Lewis got up and followed me.
“Umph. Look at that ass jiggle underneath that skirt. Since I’m a man who knows women, I’d say you don’t even have on any panties. And if you do, it’s got to be a thong. Red, of course, since your skin is such a lovely chocolate. You seem like a red kind of gal.”
I turned around and smacked the shit out of Lewis. He rubbed his cheek, and when the elevator opened, he stepped inside of it with me. I pushed the eleventh floor and when the elevator started to move, he stopped it.
“You’re a feisty-ass something, aren’t you?” he said, stepping up to me.
I smacked him again and pushed him back. “Lewis, I’m not playing with you!” I yelled. “G’on before you get hurt!”
“Hurt me, baby,” he said, holding out his hands. Catching me off guard, he quickly reached up and grabbed my neck. “Don’t slap me again, bitch! The only one who’s going to get hurt is you.”
He squeezed tighter and I grabbed at his hands, trying to stop him. I could barely breathe and my eyes were starting to water.
“See, now look at what you’ve gotten yourself into.” He pushed my head back and watched as I gasped for air. When a tear rolled down my face, he reached up my skirt and fondled me with his fingers. He jabbed them inside of me then brought his mouth up to my ear. “Daaaamn, that pussy wet. That thong wet too and I’m sure it’s because you’re so excited about me.” He placed his fingers on his lips and licked them. “Mmmm, delicious. And the next time you see me, don’t be so hard on me, okay?” He released my neck and pushed the button on the elevator so it would move again.
I held my throat and tried to catch my breath. Before we got to the eleventh floor, he pushed the fifth floor and tried to get off. Gaining some strength back, I took my foot and kicked him, as hard as I could, right between his legs. He grabbed his dick and when the elevator opened, I jetted off and ran to the staircase.
Lewis came after me. I ran fast up the steps, and when I slipped and fell on one of them, he caught up with me. He grabbed my ankles, and as I started to scream, he pulled me down a few steps. I kicked my feet so he would let loose. Unbelievably strong, he held my feet together and unzipped his pants. I screamed louder and he fell on top of me. He pressed his elbow down on my throat and secured his hand over my mouth.
“Shut the fuck up,” he said, moving my thong aside. He rubbed his dick against my slit and stared into my eyes, witnessing a very cold look. My look must’ve done something to him because he removed his hand from my mouth and got off me.
“You don’t even deserve me,” he said, zipping his pants. “But the next time I see you, you’d better keep your hands to yourself and have some respect for me or else I might not be so nice.”
Wanting to kill his ass, I rose up, watching as Lewis ran down a flight of stairs and exited. Not knowing what to do, for a while, I sat on the bottom step and held my face in my hands. I couldn’t even cry, but I knew this motherfucker was going to pay for what he’d done to me. Since I wasn’t up for a bunch of people questioning me, I hurried to the bathroom, cleaned myself up, and headed back to my desk. Jonathan was still in his meeting so I left a note and told him I felt ill and needed to go home for the day. After I put the note on his desk, I got my purse and left.
No sooner had I hit the door, I got into the shower. My heart raced as I thought about Lewis putting his hands on me. I was so scared and seriously thought he was going to hurt me. More so, I didn’t know what I was going to do. I felt every bit of violated, but the last thing I wanted was to be caught up in a scandal at work. Everybody would know about it, and as mad as Jonathan was at Lewis, if Jonathan found out, I wasn’t sure what he would do.
Thinking more about what had happened, I finally got out of the shower and made up my mind to call the police. The nine and one touched my fingers, but for some reason, the other one I just couldn’t push. I laid down the phone and sat back on my bed. Then I picked up my pillow and squeezed it closely to my chest. When the phone rang, I jumped. I looked at the caller ID and it was Jonathan calling from the office. I took a hard swallow and answered.
“Sylvia?” he said.
“Huh.”
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah.”
“I just got your note. You didn’t seem ill when I saw you this morning, so what happened?”
“I, uh, started feeling ill right after you left.”
“Oh, I see. It wasn’t because of anything I said or did, was it?”
“No. My period came down on me and I wanted to come home.”
“Damn, sorry to hear that.”
I didn’t respond.
“Sylvia,” Jonathan said again.
“Listen, I’m cramping. Can I call you back?”
“Sure. I’m getting ready to go to Britney’s school. I’ll talk to you later.”
I hung up, and thinking about the mess I’d gotten myself into, I started to cry. Lewis was going to pay. I wasn’t sure when, how, or what I was going to do, but he had to go. And Jonathan, there I was fucking around with my best friend’s man like it didn’t even matter. Loving him as if he were my own and enjoying every moment that I spent with him. How did this shit get so deep? I thought. We were supposed to have sex one time and that was it. I hated that Dana was pregnant, and I was disappointed that Jonathan still loved her so much.
As I lay in bed thinking about how selfish I was, and feeling disappointed in myself for betraying my friend, I dozed off. What seemed like a few hours later, I was awakened by a soft knock at the door. I looked at the clock on my nightstand and it showed 4:14 p.m. Wondering who it was, I put
on my robe and headed to the door. It was Jonathan. I rubbed my messy hair back then opened the door.
“Were you sleeping?” he asked, and then walked in.
“Yeah, I was.” I closed the door behind him and went back into my bedroom. He followed, stood in the doorway, and I sat on the bed.
“You didn’t sound too good over the phone, so I came by to make sure you were okay.”
“I’m fine,” I said softly. “How did everything go with Britney?”
Jonathan came farther into the room and sat on the bed next to me. “It went okay. She’s been skipping school a lot, but she promised the principal and me that she would not do it again. If anything, I think that punk hitting her might have been a wake-up call for her.”
“I hope so.”
Jonathan placed his hand on my thigh and rubbed it. “Are you sure you’re okay? You don’t seem like yourself.”
“I’m not.” I stared into his eyes. “I hate myself for doing this to Dana, but I can’t stop loving you. You don’t understand the guilt and shame I—”
Jonathan placed his fingers on my lips, and then kissed me. Never listening to what I had to say, he leaned back then put me on top of him. I straddled his lap and untied my robe. When I slid it off, Jonathan rose up on his elbows, looking at my naked body. Then he rubbed his fingers between my coochie lips.
“I thought you were on your period,” he said, looking at his finger.
I shook my head, and yet again, the clothes were coming off. Jonathan got on top of me and kneeled between my legs. He rubbed his hands up and down my legs, squeezed my hips, and then he placed my legs high on his shoulders. When he inserted himself, I tightly closed my eyes, as the feeling was always so right. He slow stroked me, causing my flow of juices to sound off in the room.
“Wh . . . why did you lie to me about your period, Sylvia? Did you not want to make love to me?”
I slid my legs off his shoulders and wrapped them around his waist. For now, I ignored his question and continued to bring him satisfaction.
For the next hour or so, Jonathan made passionate love to me. I had the pleasure of coming three times, and the last orgasm caused me to let out a loud cry that made him question me.
He rolled over and lay next to me, while holding me in his arms. “Okay, now,” he said. “Tell me what’s wrong with you. And don’t lie to me, Sylvia, because I can tell by how your body trembled that something isn’t right.”
I laid my head on his chest and rubbed it. “Today, I realized how much I love you. When you asked me what I wanted from you, the truth is I want to be with you, Jonathan. I want a man who makes me laugh, who makes me feel secure, who gives me good advice, and who makes good love to me as you do. But no matter what you say, deep down I know that having you is impossible.”
“No, it’s not because I’ve made up my mind.” He sat up and put a pillow behind him. I lifted my head off his chest and looked at him. “I thought about everything, Sylvia, and I’m not going to drive myself crazy thinking about it anymore. Tomorrow, I’m going to file for my divorce and move on with my life. As much as I still love Dana, there’s no way for me to forgive her for cheating. I’ll never be able to put it behind me, and I don’t want you to keep torturing yourself wondering what I’m going to do.”
Relieved, I was so glad to finally hear Jonathan say it was over. I wanted to tell him about Lewis, but I was so thrilled about his news that I didn’t want to spoil the mood.
We stayed in bed for a while, and when I teased him about finally sexing me in bed, he insisted he hated beds and loved me all over again throughout my place. The bathtub was our resting place, and when I got out to answer the phone that wouldn’t stop ringing, it was Dana. I wasn’t going to answer, but since I wanted to make sure she wasn’t on her way over, I picked up.
“Sylvia,” she said.
“Yes.”
“What are you doing?”
“I just got out of the shower. Where are you? Can I call you back?”
“I’m on my way over there to see you. I was calling to make sure you were there.”
“I’m here but I’m getting ready to leave.”
“Look, by the time you get dressed, I’ll be there. I need your advice about Jonathan so stay put until I get there.” She hung up.
Not knowing how far away she was, I panicked. I ran to the bathroom and told Jonathan that Dana was just moments away. When I suggested he leave, he remained in the tub and had the nerve to ask why.
“What do you mean by why?” I yelled.
“I mean, I’m not going anywhere. If she comes, she just comes.”
“Oh, noooo. This shit ain’t going down like this. Jonathan, please get out of the tub and put on your clothes. I do not want to be caught up in the middle like this.”
Jonathan moseyed out of the tub and took his time putting on his clothes. I was so worried about him getting dressed that when Dana rang the doorbell, I was still in my bathrobe. When I opened the door, he sat on the arm of the couch with his back turned while on his cell phone. Dana came in and her eyes widened when she saw him. I closed the door behind her.
“He interrupted my shower and now you. What is it that the two of you want with me?” I tried to play it off, but I wasn’t so sure if Dana was buying it.
She looked me up and down, and then looked over at Jonathan, as he talked on the phone. “How long has he been here?” she asked.
“He got here right before I was getting ready to take my shower.”
“When I called, why didn’t you tell me he was here?”
“Because you hung up on me, that’s why.”
“You still could have told me.” Dana’s eyes shifted to Jonathan as he ended his call. “Hi, baby,” she said.
He sucked his teeth and glared at her. “Don’t go babying me, Dana. It isn’t even like that between us and you know it.”
I took a deep breath, feeling some heavy shit about to go down. “Dana, can I get you something to drink?” I asked.
“No, thank you. However, you can allow my husband and me some time alone—that’s if you don’t mind.”
“I was on my way out anyway, so take all the time you need.” I headed to my room and Jonathan yelled for me not to go.
“Sylvia, sit down. This is your place and you don’t have to go anywhere.” He stood up and removed his car keys from his pocket. “I’ll see you at work tomorrow,” he said, looking at me. “And, Dana, that was my partner on the phone. Those papers I want you to sign will be ready tomorrow.”
“But I . . . I thought you were going to think about this,” she said, starting to tear up.
“I did. I thought for as long as I could, and the only solution I can come up with is a divorce.”
Saying nothing else, he walked to the door.
“Noooo.” Dana rushed up behind him. “Not now, baby, please. I need you,” she cried. “Not only that, but we need you. I can’t raise this child without you.” Jonathan swung around with a frown on his face and glared at her. “Yes, my dear,” she said as tears streamed down her face. “We’re having a child. All this time you’ve wanted one, and, finally, I’m pregnant.”
Jonathan’s eyes shifted to me, then back at Dana. He shook his head. “There’s no way it’s my child. Don’t fucking do this to me, Dana!” he yelled.
“I swear to God it’s yours,” she said. “I never had unprotected sex with Lewis, I swear.”
He quickly swung the door open and slammed it behind him. Dana opened it and yelled for him to wait. When he sped off in his car, then she closed the door.
“Sylvia, what am I going to do?” she sobbed, and then walked up to hug me. “He hates me!”
I hesitated to put my arms around her, but I did. “No, he doesn’t, Dana. He just needs time. Give him time, okay?”
“But I need him now more than ever.” She backed away from our embrace. “What am I going to do if he divorces me? Girl, tell me, what am I going to do?”
Dana plopped
down on the couch, looking a mess. Feeling as if I couldn’t give her any advice, I went into the kitchen to get her some water. When I handed it to her, she refused to drink it.
“That’s okay. I need to go to the bathroom.”
I moved aside, but as soon as she came out of the bathroom, I saw her stop in front of my bedroom door to look in. Knowing what a mess Jonathan and I had made, I rushed up to her with the water again. There was no doubt that the smell of his cologne escaped from my bedroom.
“Here,” I said. “Drink this. It’s cold and it will help to calm you.”
She took the glass of water, but continued to stare into my bedroom. When she walked inside to look around, my heart dropped to my stomach. “A strong drink is the only thing that will calm me, and, no offense, but you really need to clean up this room. Why are your pillows all over the floor?”
“Before Jonathan came, I was doing my sit-ups on the floor. I don’t have any floor mats so I use my pillows.”
Dana hesitated, and then took a sip of the water. “Why was he here anyway?” She looked at her watch. “It’s kind of late, isn’t it?”
“Dana, you know Jonathan is always stopping by here. I left work ill today and he stopped by to check on me.”
“Are you okay?” Finally, she walked out of my room.
“Yeah, I’m fine. This period of mine just drives me crazy. You know how bad my cramps can be.”
“Yeah, I remember. I remember you crying so hard in Mr. Douglas’s class in high school and he wouldn’t even let you leave.”
We laughed and sat in the living room for the next hour, reminiscing about the good old times we used to have. Before she left, she apologized for being such a snobby-ass friend over the past few years and said being with Lewis made her a different person. I truly missed our wonderful friendship, but I also knew that there was no way in hell we would ever get it back.
After she left, I called Jonathan to speak to him. When he didn’t answer his home phone, I called his cell phone and he didn’t answer that either. Knowing exactly where he was, I put on my clothes and headed to the office.
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