“Listen,” I said, sitting next to her on the bed. “You have got to stop talking the way you do. Cursing, especially in front of me, is not only disrespectful but a young lady such as you should have more respect. I haven’t raised you to be a thug. And I for damn sure didn’t raise you to curse at your mother like you do. She’s been through a lot, and you can’t blame her for everything that has happened in your life.”
Britney laid her head on my shoulder. “I’m sorry, Daddy. And I don’t blame her, but I do not like her. I never said anything to you about this, but she’s always hated me because you and her didn’t stay together. She said because I was born, that’s what drove you away. Every time I used to get in trouble, she’d tell me how much she hated me and wished I were dead. I was a little girl when she said those things, but I still remember them like it was yesterday.”
I hugged Britney and wiped the tears from her eyes. My baby girl was hurt and I could have killed myself for not letting her move in with me sooner. I promised her things would get better and she promised me she would keep up the good work in school and continue to make me proud.
The office was closed Monday so everyone could attend Mr. Duncan’s funeral. It was short and served its purpose. There wasn’t a bunch of people falling all over his casket and the condolences were kept to a minimum. In less than thirty minutes, it was all over. Crissy invited everyone to her house in Frontenac for dinner and drinks. When I asked Sylvia if she wanted to ride together, she said that she wasn’t feeling well and wanted to go home. Giving her all the space she needed, I drove to Crissy’s house alone.
A house wasn’t the word to describe the humungous place that sat on acres and acres of land. A mansion would have been more suitable and it definitely had it going on in the inside. Crissy gave me the grand tour and I was floored. The mansion had six bedrooms, eight bathrooms, and a finished lower level that had everything from a kitchen to a theater room. Old-fashioned crown molding surrounded the upper level of the house and every faucet inside was made of gold. Why she even needed so much space, when she lived alone, puzzled the hell out of me. She said the house was used for entertainment, and she insisted that she had a party almost every weekend of the year.
The house had gotten jam-packed. I took a seat in the billiards room and talked to Audrey. Together, we had about eight drinks and were both quite tipsy. Trying to stay focused on our conversation about Mr. Duncan, we found ourselves slipping into a conversation about having sex.
“I’m sorry to hear about your marriage, but, then again, I’m not,” she said. “I was wondering when you were going to give a sista like me a chance to show you bigger and better things.”
“A chance to do what?” I asked.
She leaned over and licked my ear, then whispered, “A chance to show you what you’ve been missing.”
“Exactly what is it that I’ve been missing?”
“I can show you better than I can tell you.”
“Show me where?”
“If you look over to your left, there are some stairs that lead to a nice quiet room on the lower level. There are so many people here that no one would ever know we’re missing.” Audrey stood up. “I’ll see you in a bit, right?”
I nodded and finished up the rest of my drink. Reminding me a little bit of Dana, Audrey was definitely my kind of woman. She was classy, full of ambition, and had already proved to me that she was a freak.
When I noticed no one watching, I walked down the steps to find her. I knew exactly where the room was because when I toured the house with Crissy, she showed the room to me.
I went into the room and Audrey was on the bed with her legs crossed. She smiled, and when I closed the door behind me, she walked up to me. She started to unbutton my shirt, but I grabbed her hand.
“I don’t feel comfortable doing this here,” I said. “Let’s go to your place.”
“No, I don’t want to wait.”
She continued to unbutton my shirt and she also removed my belt. Getting no response from me, she reached for my hand and placed it on her ass. I massaged it, and finally on the rise, I lifted her black dress and slid her panties down to the floor. She backed up and lay on the bed. I moved forward and snatched off my shirt. As soon as I lay on top of her, and felt the warmth from between her legs, I had a change of heart. I pecked her cheek and got up.
“You know, I can’t do this,” I said, zipping my pants.
She rose up on her elbows. “No, I didn’t know, and why not?”
“Because, I don’t want to be the morning news tomorrow. In addition to that,” I said, putting my shirt back on, “I don’t have relationships with people I work with.”
“Since when, Jonathan? It’s obvious that you’re fucking Sylvia, and you are sadly mistaken if you think nobody knows.”
“It’s called speculation, Audrey. Everybody suspects we’re sleeping together. Nobody really knows what happens between us when we’re alone.”
“I know because she tells me. You’re so worried about me running my mouth but what about her? It’s okay that she tells everybody, huh?”
“Well, if she’s told you that we’ve been together sexually, then she lied. That happens on occasion when people start fantasizing about being with you. You know what I mean?” I opened the door. “Good night, Audrey. I hope this doesn’t ruin our friendship. I’ll see you at work tomorrow.”
I went upstairs, looked for Crissy through the overly crowded house, and after I found her, I gave my goodbyes.
17
SYLVIA
I wasn’t trying to be hard on Jonathan, but I wanted him to know that I hadn’t planned on being his bed buddy for life. He made me many promises about us being together and I held him to it. Now that Dana was out of the picture, Jonathan and I were, basically, in the same situation. Nothing had changed, and if I had left it up to him, it never would. Again, I tried to stick to my words, but the day after Mr. Duncan’s funeral, I was right back in his arms. He’d come over to my place singing the same old song about how much he missed me and how things were going to get better between us. Hoping that they truly would, I gave in to him that night. There was something about the way he made love to me that I just couldn’t do without. I knew he loved me, so my heart told me to be patient with him. My mind, though, said I was a fool.
During lunch on Tuesday, I damn near lost it when Audrey told me she had sex with Jonathan the day of Mr. Duncan’s funeral. Having too much info about the size of his dick, the thickness of it, and knowing how he loved to massage an ass, I knew there was some truth to her story. While everyone was still at work, I didn’t get my clown on, but as soon as the place cleared out, I stopped him on his way out.
“Do you have a date, since you’re rushing out of here before me?” I asked.
“Come on now, Sylvia. You know I don’t go out on dates.”
“Well, maybe you should. By all means, if you’re having sex with other women, then maybe you should be entertaining them as well.”
He placed his briefcase on the floor then folded his arms. “Okay, let’s hear it. Who am I having sex with now?”
“You know who. And don’t tell me she lied on you because she knew the exact size of that,” I said, pointing to his dick.
Jonathan stared at me then leaned down in my face. “I’m getting tired of the bullshit, Sylvia. Your friend is a fucking liar and whatever you and I have going on is none of her damn business.” He picked up his briefcase. “Keep this up and I won’t have a problem ending this. I’m still here because I love you, but I will not be ridiculed by another woman again.” He walked off.
Mad because he had quickly flipped the script on me, I called his cell phone but he didn’t answer. I even left work and went to his house but he wasn’t there either. Knowing what condominiums Dana moved to, I drove by her place and his car was parked outside. That was enough to send me over the edge. Not only was he lying about fucking Audrey, but also, that bastard was still screwing around with
Dana.
I calmly drove home, typed up my resignation that provided two weeks’ notice, and took my butt to bed. By morning, I was hyped and ready to give my resignation to him. He didn’t have to worry about ending this shit with me, because as far as I was concerned, today, it was over.
No sooner had he strutted through the door, than he walked past me and didn’t say a word. He went into his office and read my resignation letter on his desk. He yelled for me to come into his office and told me to close the door behind me.
“What is this?” he asked, shaking the letter in his hand.
“What does it look like? Didn’t you read it?”
“So, you’re bailing out on me again, huh?”
“I’m not bailing out. I’m leaving because I can’t take this crap anymore.”
“What crap are you talking about, Sylvia?”
“You are not going to keep using me, Jonathan. It’s bad enough you fucked Audrey, but going back to Dana was low. If you were going to do that, then you should have never filed for a divorce.”
Jonathan sucked his teeth and bounced a pen on his desk. “So, you still believe what Audrey told you? And not only that, but you’ve been checking up on me?”
I shrugged my shoulders. “Hey, a sista gotta do what she gotta do.”
“Okay, then, sista.” Jonathan dialed Audrey’s extension and told her to come to his office immediately. When she said that she was on her way, he shot me a dirty look.
“Every morning when I saw you, you used to brighten my day. You coming through that door would put me at ease. What in the hell has happened to you, woman? When I clear this shit up, I want you to keep your word and leave this office in two weeks.”
Audrey knocked on the door. “Come in,” Jonathan yelled. She came in and closed the door behind her. She looked shocked to see me, and when she saw the frown on Jonathan’s face, I suspected she could tell what was up.
“Have a seat,” Jonathan said.
Audrey took a seat and looked over at me. “What’s this all about?” she asked in a soft, innocent tone.
“This is about rumors, games, and lies,” he said. “I will not be part of the bullshit that goes around in here. The other day at Crissy’s house, after Mr. Duncan’s funeral, did you and I have sex?”
“Wha . . . what difference—”
Jonathan slammed his hand on his desk. “Answer the damn question!”
Audrey jumped in her seat. “We . . . we came close.”
“Close, maybe, but did I stick my dick inside of you? That’s what Sylvia wants to know.”
Audrey looked at me, again, and then answered Jonathan’s question. “You would have, if we had gone to my place like you suggested.”
“Would’ve, could’ve, should’ve! Can you attest to what this motherfucker here feels like inside of you?” Jonathan said, grabbing his dick. “I need some type of evidence here because I’m getting convicted of some bullshit I didn’t even do!”
“No, we did not have sex, but it’s not like you didn’t want to.”
“If I had wanted to, Audrey, I would have. Believe it or not, for some men, it is not all about the pussy. And since we’re on a roll, you told me that Sylvia shared with you some intimate details about our relationship, right?”
I looked at Audrey. “I told you what? I have never told you Jonathan and I were intimate, Audrey.”
“Ya see,” Jonathan said, standing up. “Case closed.” He pointed his finger at me. “I didn’t even confront you about what she said because I knew she was a liar and I trusted you. If I could get the same damn thing from you, then we might have a little something to work with.” He snatched his briefcase off his desk, and slammed the door on his way out.
Feeling like such a fool, I let Audrey have it. “Bitch, why did you have to lie like that?”
She threw her hand back. “Girl, Jonathan is so full of it. I don’t care what he said, he wanted to have sex with me.”
“Well, he didn’t, even though you said y’all did. But why did you lie on me? You know damn well I never told you Jonathan and I had sex.”
“I was just joking around when I said that.”
“Audrey, please get out of my face. You have no idea what you might have caused me.”
Audrey rolled her eyes and left Jonathan’s office. I hung around until six o’clock, in hopes that he would return but he didn’t. I felt so badly for not trusting him and for giving him my resignation. Never seeing him so angry with me, I knew I had to keep my word and be out of his office in two weeks.
The following week was extremely difficult for me. When Britney told me Jonathan only went over to Dana’s house to drill some holes in her walls so she could hang her curtains, I felt even worse. He barely said anything to me and spent minimal time at the office. Our conversations pertained to business and business only, and when I asked if I could cook him dinner on Thursday night, he declined. He said he and Britney had plans to go to the movies. Not wanting to get my face cracked again, I didn’t even bother to ask if I could go.
What was supposed to be my last week in the office, Jonathan didn’t even come in on Monday or Tuesday. He finally came in on Wednesday, and the only reason he’d shown up was to start the interviewing process for my position. He didn’t waste any time putting an ad in the paper, and all kinds of resumes and applications came in.
By the end of the day, he had interviewed at least eight women for my job. While he was looking though the applications that were spread out over his desk, I knocked on his door and asked if I could come in.
“Any luck?” I asked.
He nodded and continued to look down at one application in particular. “Umm, maybe so.”
“Can I take a look at it?” I said, pretending not to be hurt. He quickly passed the application over to me then picked up another one.
I glanced at the woman’s work experience. “Well, it looks like she has the experience. Which one was she?”
“The light-skinned one with the short hair and dark blue pantsuit on.”
“You mean the one with the workable ass, model-shaped legs, and friendly smile, right?”
“Yep, that’s the one,” Jonathan said, and still not smiling.
“No go. Let me see another application.” He passed another application to me. I looked at it and this chick had the credentials as well. “Okay, now, which one was she?”
He looked up like he was in deep thought. “She . . . she was the one with the black skirt on, the royal blue blouse, and had long braids.”
“Right, but she also had thick lips, big-ass breasts, and if I’m not mistaken, that skirt was damn near up to her ass.”
“That would be the one,” he said, looking down at another application.
“Jonathan,” I whined, then placed the application on his desk.
“What, Sylvia?” he said with seriousness in his eyes.
“I don’t really want to leave.”
“But you have to.”
“Says who?”
“Says me.”
“But I changed my mind.”
“You can’t do that. You gave me two weeks’ notice and I’m preparing myself to find a replacement.”
“Again, you don’t have to, especially since I don’t want all these beautiful women hanging all over you and falling in love with you like I did.”
“Well, too bad. I’m not going to keep going back and forth with you about this. Every time you get mad, I have to worry about you quitting your job. Have you found another one yet?”
I pouted and lowered my head. “No, but I will. In the meantime, you still have a couple of days to decide if you want me to keep my job.”
“Don’t do me any more favors,” he said, as I walked toward the door. “Besides, there’s no way in hell I’m going to allow my wife to work for me. That doesn’t work out too well.”
I halted my steps and turned my head. “What did you say?”
“I said that I need to find a replacement fo
r you because I want to marry you. My divorce will soon be final. I’m getting kind of lonely not having a wife around.”
Stunned by his words, I couldn’t even move. I felt the tears trying to escape from my eyes, and my entire body was numb. Jonathan asked me to sit on his lap, and after I did, I damn near broke his neck as I wrapped my arms around him and squeezed.
“I’m sorry for being such a bitch, baby, please forgive me for not trusting you. I just needed to know where things stood between us.”
“You gotta trust me, Sylvia. A marriage is based on trust, and without it, we’ll have nothing.”
“I know. It’s not that I ever really doubted you, but I was so angry with the way things were going and I got frustrated.”
“Well, like I said, my divorce will be final soon and we can finally move on, okay?”
“I love you,” I said, kissing all over him.
“Wait a minute,” he said, as I started to unbutton his pants. “I need a bed tonight. My back is killing me from making love to you in these awkward places. But first, I got two days to find a replacement for you. By Friday, one of these ladies is going to be my new secretary. We need to figure out which one.”
“I already know which one. I liked the old lady with the long gray ponytail and beige polyester suit on. She was really nice.” Jonathan handed me her application. The woman hadn’t worked since 1982 and had the nerve to be honest on her application.
“I will train her, baby, I promise you I will,” I said.
“No, that’s okay. I kind of like this one.” Jonathan pulled out the application from the light-skinned chick with the workable ass and friendly smile.
“I’m sure you do like that one,” I said, snatching the application and looking at it again.
“Look, baby, this gal knows her stuff. She’s worked for a law firm before and she can type eighty words a minute.”
“Quick hands, huh? If she even looks at you the wrong way I’m gonna kick her butt.”
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