by Zane
Chapter Seven
The sun persistently pried its way into the room through the window, slowly making a path across the two bodies that lay intertwined between the tangled sheets.
Clarissa peacefully slept as Julian watched her. He felt blessed to have been given another opportunity to love her. This time, he’d never lose her again.
He slid out of bed carefully, trying his best not to wake her. He stood at the edge of the bed, admiring her toned, size six frame. Covering her nakedness up with the comforter, he walked into the bathroom to freshen up.
Hearing the electric razor, Clarissa stirred in bed. She had a feeling of completeness as she lay there staring at the ceiling. Making love to Julian again had been everything she’d dreamed of and more.
Slowly sitting up in bed, she looked over at the clock on the nightstand. “Eight o’clock. Damn, I need to call Nette.” She scrambled for the phone that lay next to the clock.
“Well, good morning,” Jeanette beamed into the phone.
“At least I know you didn’t put out a missing person’s report.” They both laughed.
“Did your toes curl?”
“Girl, and some.”
Jeanette squealed with delight. “So, are you coming this way today? If you decide not to, believe me, I’ll understand.”
“Did you have any plans for us today?”
“Nothing that can’t be broken. Girl, get your freak on. Shit, it’s about time you got some good dick.” They giggled.
“Well, since you have no use for me, I’m about to go into the bathroom and jump in the shower with this fine ass man. Ya know, get me some mo’ good dick. Bye.”
“Get some for me. See ya later.”
Clarissa hung up the phone and tossed it on the bed. She jumped up and ran off toward the sound of the running water.
She slowly opened the door and focused on the outline of Julian’s bare body in the glass shower stall. She walked over slowly and tapped on the door.
“I thought I was going to have to come and get you,” he said as he opened the door and yanked her in. He pulled her under the running water, wetting her hair as he placed a trail of kisses up and down her neck. This was one time she didn’t complain about her ruined hairdo. The experience was erotic.
As he bent down to kiss her full on the mouth, she realized that she hadn’t had a chance to brush her teeth. “Wait, Baby. I need to do something.” She jumped from the shower.
“What’s wrong?”
“I need a toothbrush. Do you have a spare?”
He laughed. “Look in the medicine cabinet.”
She quickly finished up and hopped back in. “I didn’t want to repulse you.”
“I doubt seriously if anything about you could be repulsive to me. Good morning, Sunshine,” he whispered in her ear as he pulled her to him so she could feel his erection.
She smiled with delight. “This is definitely a good morning.”
After making love in the shower and then in the bed again, it was time to quench their hunger for food. Julian handed her the top to his pajamas as he pulled his long legs through the bottoms. “So, what will it be for breakfast?”
“What do you have?” she asked.
“Anything your heart desires, Madam.” He hoisted her up on his back and carried her downstairs to the kitchen.
The bleached wood floors glistened under his feet. “Was your place this nice when you first got it?” she asked.
“Not quite as nice. I spent a pretty penny on renovations. But it was well worth it.”
They entered the kitchen, which was done up in bleached wood cabinets, stainless steel appliances, and black granite countertops. She was really impressed at his taste.
He continued to impress her with his culinary abilities as he prepared a breakfast fit for a queen. There was nothing that he’d forgotten, fresh fruit, scrambled eggs, French toast, the works.
“So, what time do you want me to take you back to Nette’s?” he asked as they stood side by side at the sink, washing up the dishes.
“You trying to get rid of me? I’m yours today if you want me. I just need to go and get something clean to put on. That is, if you want me today.”
He kissed her on the neck. “I want you every day.”
She smiled at him and pecked him on the lips. “Then we have to work on that.”
“I know. Once we finish up in here, I want to go Nette’s so we can sit down and strategize about what we have to do. I can’t let Clark have you any longer.” Julian wrapped his damp hands around her hips. She placed her head on his chest, enjoying that sense of security he gave her.
She couldn’t wait to tell Jeanette that her assumptions about Clark had been correct all these years. If only she’d listened to Jeanette years ago. “Well, let’s get a move on.” She slapped him on his tight rear and ran up the stairs with him in tow.
Maneuvering through traffic with ease, they pulled up in front of Jeanette’s building. He parked his Legend out front and walked around to open the door for Clarissa. Once inside, they filled Jeanette in on the real scoop regarding that dreadful night.
“I told you he was a fucking snake!” Jeanette exclaimed. She was livid.
“I know, and like you told me the other day, it’s never too late to make changes.” Clarissa smiled.
Jeanette looked at her and smiled an evil grin. “So what are we doing?”
They spent the rest of the afternoon huddled together like three skilled private eyes, mapping out their master plan to make Clark pay, only taking time out to enjoy their newly rekindled passion. Saying goodbye was going to be hard even if it was only for a short time. Clarissa realized that she’d never stopped loving him. Julian was the man she was meant to be with. Now she had to get rid of the man who had deprived her of that. And pay he would.
Chapter Eight
Clarissa hated to cut her stay short, but the sooner she got back, the better. Saying good-bye to Julian was even harder than she’d expected. However, knowing that it wouldn’t be long before they were together again made it easier.
She had opted to surprise Clark and snatched a cab to get home. During the ride, she looked out the window at the scenery that had been home to her for the past six years. How had she let him dupe her so badly?
The cab pulled up in front of their stately home. The driver brought her bags to the door and thanked her for the hefty tip she’d given him.
Clarissa searched her leather Biasai bag for her keys and unlocked the door. After dragging her bags upstairs and placing them in her closet, she jumped in the shower. She had to get herself ready for the performance of a lifetime.
Wrapped in her favorite, ice-green chenille robe, she emerged from the clouds of steam toweling her hair dry. She went to her walk-in closet and clicked on the light in search of something comfortable. As she combed through the endless supply of clothing, she could hear the sound of the front door closing. Finding something suitable, she rushed from the closet to get dressed before Clark came upstairs.
As she stood at the top landing of the stairs, she could hear Clark on the phone in the kitchen. Wanting to surprise him, she quietly crept in. Rounding the corner, she caught a glimpse of her husband standing in a loving embrace with another woman.
“What the fuck is going on?!” she yelled.
Clark nearly broke his neck as he spun toward the sound of Clarissa’s voice. He stumbled toward the other end of the kitchen. “Clarissa. What are you doing here? You weren’t supposed to be home until…”
She cut him off. “No, Clark—the question is what the hell are you doing here? I decided to come home early to surprise you. I guess the surprise is on me.” She inched closer to Clark and the cowering woman behind him.
“Clarissa, wait now. Don’t do anything stupid,” he said with raised palms.
“Stupid?! You’re not worth it. I’m through with being stupid. Sweetie, you can have him.” Clarissa turned on her heels and headed up the stairs two at a ti
me.
She slammed the door for effect. As soon as she heard his car pull out of the garage, she leaped into the middle of the bed and began to squeal with delight. Clutching the pillow to her chest and kicking her feet in the air, she felt total vindication.
As much as Julian had wanted to be in charge of the plan, she knew that returning home early would do the trick. Just as she and Jeanette had guessed, Clark was only thinking about the freedom he would have while she was gone.
She jumped up, snatched the phone from the base and punched in Jeanette’s number. “Hello?”
“Just as we thought!” she screamed in the receiver.
“What happened?”
“Nette, he’s been playing house the whole time. When he saw me, he damn near pissed his pants.” They both laughed.
“Were they there when you got there?”
“They came about half an hour after I arrived. It all just happened less than ten minutes ago.”
“What?! Where is his ass now?”
“He burned rubber getting away from here.”
“Are you going to call Julian?”
“Not yet. I have lots of packing to do.”
“You want me to fly down so I can help?”
“Girl, I’m going to arrange for the movers to be here tomorrow morning. All I have to do is get my stuff packed.”
“Well, get busy. Call me back once you have everything arranged.”
“Okay. Talk to you tomorrow.” She clicked off the phone and tossed it on the bed.
She walked out to the garage to retrieve the rest of her luggage. She felt as though a fifty-pound weight had been lifted from her chest. Suddenly, as Toni Braxton said, she could finally breathe again.
She stood in the middle of her closet evaluating how she would be able to get all of her clothing in the few bags she had. As she looked at each suit she pulled from the closet, she realized that they all represented her life with Clark. She suddenly walked back to the kitchen and grabbed the box of heavy-duty garbage bags from under the sink. She snatched everything from her closet and stuffed them in bag after bag. Two hours later, her closet was bare and fifteen thirty-gallon bags lined the foot of her bed.
She dragged each one down the stairs and loaded them up in her truck. Without a second thought, she pulled up at the Goodwill drop-off station and unloaded them. The slender attendant stood with her mouth gaped open. Clarissa turned to her before jumping back in her truck. “I don’t know if you’re allowed to go through the merchandise, but there are lots of designer suits in there that would fit you perfectly.”
“Wow, really?!”
Clarissa winked at her. The attendant thanked her as she drove away.
Clarissa didn’t expect to see Clark any more that day. It was his way to stay clear of her until he believed the smoke had cleared. Using his own behavior against him, Clarissa knew that his absence would give her an opportunity to pack in peace, take all that she wanted, and then get the hell outta Dodge. Taking advantage of her good fortune, she cleaned the house from top to bottom. Throwing out unwanted things and packing up everything that was going with her.
As she cleaned and packed everything up in the guest bedroom, she came across a briefcase. Thinking nothing of it, she pried it open. Inside were documents of several bank accounts, investment portfolios, and deeds to a number of real estate properties. All of them in Clark’s name. Upon closer inspection of the dates, she realized that he’d purchased all of them during the marriage. She’d seen enough episodes of Divorce Court to know that whatever was acquired during the course of the marriage was in fact property of the marriage. Oh, she was going to take Clark to the cleaners for years to come…
“That slimy, no-good asshole. Thinks he’s so smart,” she said as she walked to her office to make copies of each and every one. It was quite clear to her that she’d just secured her financial position.
At seven o’clock the next morning, the movers arrived. Clarissa had packed and labeled everything that was leaving with her. Everything else, she’d either left for him or promised to the consignment shop down the road.
Clarissa loaded her truck up with the few pieces of luggage she’d packed before the driver arrived to pick it up. She showered for the last time in the bathroom she’d shared with Clark for the past four years. Bare of her things, she closed the door forever. Approaching the bed, she eyed her parting gear—dark denim Guess jeans with a matching jacket and a black pullover. As she zipped her boots up, she could feel a set of eyes watching her. She looked up to find Clark standing in the doorway.
Ignoring him, she finished stuffing the last of her things in her bag and zipped it closed. Clark flinched at the sounds of her leaving. “What are you doing?” he asked.
“What I should have done ages ago…,” she snapped.
“Looks like you’re going somewhere,” he said softly.
“Uh-huh…”
“Where you going?” he asked weakly.
“Where I should’ve gone six years ago, Clark.”
“And where’s that?”
“Why don’t you call your friend Brie and ask her. You do remember her, don’t you?” she shot at him.
Guilt registered on his face as he realized that the secret he’d been able to keep away from her all these years had finally come to light.
She grabbed her purse from the dresser and picked up her carryon bag from the floor. With her head held high, she walked up to Clark and placed the keys to everything they’d shared in the palm of his hand. “Now you don’t have to sneak around. I could say that I hate you, but I don’t. I only hope that you’re able to look back on this day and realize that my leaving was for the best.” She brushed past him as she headed down the stairs.
Leaving behind a half-empty house, Clarissa felt a sense of triumph as she sat in the back of the cab.
Defeated, Clark stood in the bedroom window and watched her ride out of his life forever.
Chapter Nine
Standing in their usual spot at JFK, Jeanette paced back and forth as she awaited the arrival of Delta flight 554. As soon as Clarissa disembarked the plane, Jeanette ran and flung her arms around her best friend’s neck.
“Would you believe that I’ve been here for an hour?!” Jeanette exclaimed.
Clarissa smiled at the one person who had been a constant force of strength in her life. “Thank you, Nette.”
“For what?”
“You said I would thank you later and I am.”
It dawned on Jeanette that she was talking about the fateful email that she’d sent to Julian. “You’re more than welcome. I just want you to be happy, Girl. You deserve that.”
They stood at the gate embracing as if it had been years since they’d last seen each other.
“Now let’s get my luggage so I can go see my man.” Clarissa smiled at her reference to Julian. Something she’d never felt when she thought about Clark.
Twenty minutes later, they were turning on East 118th toward the new beginnings that lay ahead for her. She dug through her purse in search of her cell phone and punched in Julian’s number.
“Hello?” he answered on the first ring.
“Hey, Baby. Guess who?” she cooed in a seductive voice.
“Where are you? I waited for you to call me last night. I was worried about you.” His voice was full of concern.
“Aww, were you really? I’m sorry, but things happened and things needed to get done and I guess I just lost track of time.”
He began to go on about not being able to sleep at all because he didn’t know if Clark had hurt her or what. She listened until she couldn’t take any more.
“Could you just calm down and hush for one minute? I called for a reason.”
He quickly shut up.
“Are you dressed?”
“What?” catching him totally off guard, she continued.
“I just wanted to make sure that you were decent before Jeanette came in.”
Confused by her
statement, he asked her, “Where is Jeanette coming into?”
No sooner than he’d asked the question, the door chimed, indicating it had been opened.
Using the key he’d given her, Clarissa let herself and Jeanette into the brownstone. With the phone still clutched in his hand, Julian raced down the stairs and scooped her up in his arms. Overwhelmed by feelings of love and joy, he cupped her face in his hands and kissed her lightly on the lips. “I hope you’re here for good. I love you too much to let you leave again.”
“Do these bags look like she’s leaving anytime soon? Come and give me a hand.” Jeanette stood in the doorway with Clarissa’s bags at her feet and a big smile on her face.
Julian’s brown eyes misted over as the reality of the moment set in. She was his again. This time it would be forever.
After putting her things away, Julian felt it was an appropriate time to give her the surprise he had for her. He reached into his pocket and retrieved a tiny square blue velvet box. He walked over to Clarissa and grabbed her hands. Jeanette stood frozen in front of the fireplace as she watched the scene unfold.
“Six years ago, I bought a ring with the expectations of asking you to be my wife. I’ve held on to that ring all these years in hope of one day giving it to you. But I realized that was the ring of a boy. So, I set out to find the perfect ring for this man to give to the woman he loves.” He flipped the box open to reveal a three carat, princess-cut, center diamond surrounded with four princess-cut, side diamonds set in a platinum band.
Taking her hand in his, he slowly lowered himself to the floor and kneeled at Clarissa’s feet. “I know that it may be a little too soon to ask this, but I don’t want to miss the chance again. Clarissa, I love you more than the air I fill my lungs with and if you’ll have me, I want to spend the rest of my life breathing in scents of you. Will you marry me, Baby?”
Choked up with emotion, Clarissa looked into the face of the only man who’d ever really loved her. “Oh, Julian…Yes. Yes. Yes.” Tears of joy escaped her eyes as she pulled him to his feet. He showered her face and neck with kiss after kiss.