My Married Boyfriend

by Cydney Rax

  “Now do you believe me?” Kiara asked Rashad. “The proof is in your face; now what you gonna do about it?”

  Stunned, Rashad wanted to punch a wall. He felt like an idiot.

  “So you planted these spy cameras in my house? On my patio?

  “Months ago.”

  “Months?”

  “Yes, Rashad. I didn’t trust Nicole and didn’t know what type of shit she’d be doing to Myles behind my back. And I asked Jerry to handle everything for me. He and I remained friendly even after you and I broke up. So remember when she had a baby shower and wanted everyone and their mother to give her stuff for Emmy? I purchased some cameras and asked Jerry to place them in some teddy bears that I bought. And he brought them over to the house and told Nicole that the gift was from his wife. Of course, Nicole fell for it, especially since there were three crisp hundred-dollar bills attached to the bears. That’s how I was able to get it done without Nicole suspecting a thing.”

  “Damn. And what about the footage from the patio?”

  “Well, the devious side of me told me I’d better keep an eye on her outside the house, too. So at my urging, Jerry also brought a few plants over to your house and that’s how he was able to set up the camera on the patio. He was happy to do it. And I swore Jerry to secrecy because I didn’t want you tripping. You know how stupid you get over her. But as you can see now, it had to be done, and for good reason.”

  “But that means you’ve been watching me and everything I do, too?”

  “Yes, Rashad. That’s what we had to do,” Kiara explained. “But it’s not like you have anything I haven’t seen before.”

  “Don’t matter. I still feel violated.”

  “But everything isn’t about you, sweetheart.”

  At first Rashad was angry. Women were too damned unpredictable, every single one of them.

  “Where exactly was this camera on the patio?” he asked.

  “You ever notice a little plastic plant? Well, it’s fake. And it had a wifi spy cam set it in.”

  “How much it cost?”

  “I paid over one thousand dollars for this shit,” Kiara said. “Using your money. Thanks, honey.” She couldn’t help but laugh.

  Kiara may have thought it was funny, but Alexis noticed how hurt Rashad looked. It was something she rarely saw. Feeling a little foolish, she told him, “Sorry we had to act like Charlie’s Angels. But it was the only way we could get you to open up your eyes.”

  “Did you say ‘we’? You were in on this, too?”

  “Hell, yeah. I care about Myles and Jazzy as much as I do Hayley. We’re family.”

  This was almost more than Rashad could bear. But it finally settled in. He felt their love. And it blew his mind.

  “Well, damn. Y’all two are golden. And now I really know what I’m working with. Two devious geniuses. How much y’all charge for your services?”

  “Don’t get any crazy ideas,” Kiara teased him. “This ain’t about you. It’s about all our children.”

  “Damn, damn, damn,” was all Rashad could say. Regret filled his heart, but it was too late for all that. He had to focus on the future.

  “Now that you know the truth,” Alexis asked, “what are you going to do?”

  “Well, I’ve thought about it.”

  “And?” Kiara asked.

  “Nicole wants to be married to me, right? And I think I’m going to give her exactly what she wants.”

  “Say what?” Alexis asked. “Aren’t you pissed at her?”

  “Yeah, you know I am. But I ain’t sweating it. If she wants me, she can have me. Every single fucking thing that goes along with having me.” Rashad had a steely look in his eyes. And only he knew what he planned to do. Neither Kiara nor Alexis could figure out his motives.

  * * *

  Later that day, Rashad was driving in his van on his way to pick up his work team. He couldn’t get the vision of Nicole and Ajalon/Cornell out of his mind. Now he realized who the dude really was. He clearly recalled that the man wanted to go by the name Cornell. And how did he miss the fact that the young man had just arrived from Alabama? He did good work, that’s how. And good workers made him look good. And Rashad couldn’t believe that his employee made love to his woman right in their own house. “That sounds like some type of shit I’d do,” he said to himself. “It would be funny if it weren’t so fucking scandalous.”

  He tried to calm himself down as he figured out how to confront the people that he trusted the most.

  * * *

  Around the same time that Rashad was driving to get his workers, Nicole was in a festive mood. She felt like she’d gotten Ajalon out of her system. When they shared one last juicy kiss, they both agreed it was time to move on. He would never bother her with his dreams and schoolboy wishes again. He was on his own.

  “Ti amo,” he told her as she drove off. “No, she will never forget me. And I will never forget her.”

  And on the late afternoon the day before Halloween, Nicole felt freer than she had in a while. She wanted to party. She was engaged. Rashad told her he loved her and life was looking more promising. She vowed to stay out of trouble and she meant it.

  Nicole was in the middle of deciding which costume she wanted to wear. She and Rashad were going to a party on Saturday night, and she couldn’t wait for it to start. She had two different outfits that she could choose from. It would either be the black witch outfit that was always a big hit at a party, or she’d wear something different yet stylish: her beautiful Egyptian Cleopatra outfit that she adored. Right then she decided to try it on. It was a three-quarter-length black halter dress with sequined armbands and drapes that hung off her biceps. There was also a multicolored collar and a headband. She picked out the perfect pair of skimpy heels and had just practiced applying this new green-and-black eye shadow that would give her the smoky eye look that she wanted to have.

  “I look pretty good,” she said to herself as she gazed at her reflection in the mirror.

  She heard the doorbell ring and went to see who could be ringing it.

  Before her stood two strangers: a beautiful, elegant looking white woman and a darker-skinned man.

  “May I help you?” she asked.

  “We are looking for our son. Are you Nicole Greene?”

  “Yes, I am, but who is your son?” Then she looked in the woman’s eyes and she immediately saw Ajalon inside of them.

  “Oh, my God. What are you doing here? How did you find me? Oh,” she said. “Never mind.”

  “May we come in?”

  “Now is not a good time.” She laughed nervously. “Um, I am about to go to a costume party,” she lied.

  “I see,” Ajalon’s mother, Callista, told her.

  “We don’t mean to intrude. We will only stay a second,” said his father, Lorenzo.

  “Well, what can I do for you?”

  “Take us to our son,” Callista said. “We are just checking on him and want to make sure he is okay.”

  “All right. I need to get my baby, and then I’ll show you where your son is.”

  * * *

  Nicole may have looked like a queen but she hardly felt like one as she drove to the Home Depot day worker location. She knew Ajalon’s schedule. And she knew that he’d get dropped off soon. She just wanted his parents to follow her Jeep, point to the drop-off spot, and go on about her way. Whatever they wanted with him had nothing to do with her. She just wanted to show some Texas hospitality, but she couldn’t forget the stories her ex told her about how his family disapproved of her. They made her feel like she wasn’t good enough, yet he was the one with the criminal activities and subsequent record.

  She pulled over to the spot and parked her Jeep. With the motor still running, she walked over to their rental car. It was a Chevy Suburban. Big, expensive, and classy.

  Lorenzo rolled down his window. “He works with, um, with someone I know,” Nicole explained. “And this is where he will get dropped off. It should happen in ten
or fifteen minutes. So just wait. You’ll see the van. Eason and Son. You can’t miss it. Bye.”

  “Thank you for your time.”

  By the time Nicole spotted Rashad’s van, it was too late. She wanted to run as fast as she could to her Jeep, jump in it, and speed off. But with her wearing the stupid high heels, she got slowed down. She decided to play things off so as not to bring attention to herself. She started walking slowly toward her vehicle.

  She was almost about to reach her door handle. But she saw a strange man race to her Jeep. He beat her to the door and jumped in.

  “No,” she screamed. “My car.”

  Within seconds Rashad’s van pulled up. The guy put the Jeep in reverse and attempted to back out. But Rashad blocked him in. Then his side door opened. And Ajalon jumped out. He ran to the door of the Jeep and yanked it wide open. He grabbed the strange man by the collar and pulled him out. The next thing you know, both Rashad and Jerry came over. Jerry held him down and let Rashad punch him over and over in his face and kick his legs. They took turns thrashing the man so badly he limped away after they got done whipping his ass.

  Nicole couldn’t believe it. She felt so ashamed yet so grateful. When the melee was over and Ajalon looked up, he yelled in exhilaration when he saw his beloved mother.

  “Madre,” he said and smiled at Nicole. “Mia madre.”

  She could only smile back at him.

  “Thank you,” she whispered.

  Rashad watched them all along. He said good-bye to Jerry and shook Ajalon’s hand.

  He looked him in the eye. “Thanks, Ajalon.”

  Nicole froze. She quietly boarded her Jeep. She waited. And she wasn’t surprised when Rashad opened her passenger door and hopped inside.

  “You want to explain to me what the fuck is going on with you? You were supposed to be my ride or die.”

  “What are you talking about? I can’t help it if those people came to the house looking for your employee—”

  “I’m not talking about that and you know it. You know good and well what I’m talking about. Cornell Cantu? That’s your boy from Birmingham. Your little Afro-Italian lover.”

  He shook his head. “I’ve been the biggest fool. I thought I was the shady one, but you got me beat by a long shot.”

  Nicole’s eyes were dry. She had no words to argue with him. She heavily sighed. “Sometimes we don’t know why we do what we do. We only know what we regret.”

  “That’s the truth if I’ve ever heard the fucking truth.”

  “So? What now?” she asked, trembling. She was petrified. More afraid than she’d ever been in her life. She still wanted Rashad but she wasn’t certain that he could ever muster up enough strength, heart, and willingness to love her in the way she needed to be loved.

  And if Rashad couldn’t love her, then who could?

  “We’ll talk about it,” he finally told her. “Meet you back at the house.”

  As she pulled out of the parking lot, she watched the continued celebration of a son being joyfully reunited with his parents. She could only hope Rashad gave her the same chance.

  * * *

  Before she went home, Nicole had the mind to call up Shyla. In all the excitement, she nearly forgot she had Emmy in the backseat of the Jeep. She knew how foolish she’d been to keep her daughter in the car with her keys still in the ignition and the engine running.

  Shyla heard the latest drama and agreed to keep Emmy the entire night. “Go home and fix things with your husband.”

  Nicole said, “You are a true friend.”

  “And don’t you ever forget it.”

  * * *

  Hours later, after Rashad and Nicole talked, really ironed things out and gave each other their thoughts, fears, and expectations, Nicole knew she’d nearly dodged a fatal bullet. Any other man would have tried to kill her.

  She gratefully held Rashad’s hand.

  “I know I don’t deserve you, babe. I’ll admit it. I don’t always do the right thing. But I do want to try and learn from my mistakes. I want another chance. And I promise to be the best wife you’ve ever had. You have my word.”

  “Everyone makes mistakes,” he calmly told her.

  “So does that mean you honestly forgive me? Because, Rashad, and I swear I don’t say this too often, but I am so fucking sorry that I wish I could start the entire year all over again.”

  “You do. That’s different! How would you change things, Nicole?”

  “I think that it’s possible you and Kiara might have broken up anyway. Because maybe somehow she would have found out about Alexis and Hayley. She may have decided no, she didn’t want her marriage anymore. And she may have decided to leave you and start over with someone else. And if that happened, I would have been able to meet you the honest, organic, and systematic way. It sounds old-fashioned, but I think I would have waited until you were completely unattached. And then we’d be just cool at first. No sex.”

  “Are you saying that you are sorry for relentlessly pursuing me?”

  “I beg your pardon. I’d hardly call it that. It’s just that when I noticed you were spending more time with me, and less with her, the handwriting was on the wall,” she scoffed. “I didn’t invent hooking up with a married man. Your precious Alexis is proof of that.”

  “You’re right in that assessment, Nicole. To understand people and why they are how they are, you’d have to go way back in history. Biblical times, even. Because I’m not a religious man, but even I remember the story about Samson and Delilah. She saw the man that she wanted and she made sure to do what it takes to get him.”

  “I hope you aren’t comparing me to Delilah. Because I believe that our modern-day situation is very much different than that story.”

  He silently studied her. Then he said, “Yeah, right.”

  She allowed herself a cautious laugh. “Because in the Rashad Eason and Nicole Greene story, you were a carpenter, so to speak, that originally wanted to help me to fix some things. And those things required you to come over to my house. But you could have sent one of your other men. But you, Rashad, chose to come and help me. And you came and got my problems fixed up real nice and pretty. And you talked to me and made sure that we became friends. And you took me out for my birthday last summer, to a beach, for God’s sake, and you brought me back home and you made love to me. And so that ruined any chance for our own relationship to grow organically just like in a storybook. And I think you have to realize that in spite of its dirty background and origin, you must admit you played a role and now, in spite of everything, you do love me. And if things had been different, I believe you’d have gotten me a two-carat diamond ring instead of this plastic thing you found in a Cracker Jack box.”

  He heartily laughed. “Ahh. About the ring . . . I was only testing you to see if you still loved me no matter what the size of the diamond. Some men do that just to see if the chick’s heart is right. Some women pass the test.” He shrugged and gazed at her. “Other women miss out.”

  “Oh, okay.” She felt foolish and immature. “I feel dumb. Again. And it’s the one thing I’m committed to changing.” She let go of his hand and starting toying with her fingers.

  “Rashad, I know for a fact you could have walked away from me and never talked to me again. I can’t say that I’d blame you. I’d be hurt. But I’d understand. But the fact is that you are kind enough to forgive me. Why, it’s an honor that you’re giving me another chance. I feel like I’ve died on the operating table and was suddenly brought back to life.”

  “That’s a nice way to put it.” He pondered his words. “Well, Nicole. You haven’t died. You’re very much still alive. And yes, I’m giving you one more chance to prove yourself. Just once more. Don’t blow it.”

  She sighed in disbelief. “You are an amazing man. And I mean that.”

  “I think I’m amazing, too. I really do.” He knew in his mind Nicole Greene really didn’t have one more chance like he told her.

  And Rashad
thought about all the treacherous things he could line up in his mind to make this woman regret ever messing with him, his family, and his business.

  Amazing indeed.

  Don’t miss the thrilling conclusion to Cydney Rax’s Love & Revenge series,

  Revenge of the Mistress

  On sale wherever books and e-books are sold in February 2017!

  Prologue

  Only five foot two, the little man suddenly appeared at the warehouse and pointed a semi-automatic pistol at Rashad. With only a second to spare, Rashad took off running. But the short man was faster. He whizzed past him, threw up his legs and kicked Rashad in his back, which sent him falling to the ground and crashing into a mountain of boxes filled with heavy materials. Rashad injured his knee; he yelled as he lay on the dusty floor.

  The man stood over Rashad and aimed the pistol again. It weighed only 1.6 pounds, but to Rashad it could have weighed a ton. He stared at the weapon and quickly lifted his hands. “What did I do? What do you want?”

  He felt so vulnerable on that floor. His heart beat rapidly inside his chest.

  The man said nothing. He stared at Rashad with no visible emotion.

  “Hey man, I’m talking to you. What you want with me? You want money? You can have my debit cards, my credit cards.”

  “Don’t want money. But you are who I want.”

  An electronic voice changer made the attacker sound peculiar. A low evil-pitched tone that uttered frightening words. Rashad swallowed deeply then asked. “Why are you doing this? Who are you?”

  “Just call me Death.”

  “W-what?”

  Rashad realized this wasn’t a stupid robbery. It was something more sinister. The man was so short and slight that Rashad thought he could take him. The man noticed a folding chair nearby on the ground. He pointed the pistol at Rashad and ordered him to unfold the chair. Rashad did exactly as he was told. But then in a sudden move, he grabbed the leg of the chair and swung with all his might.

  “You motherfucking asshole,” he said and bashed the guy in his temple. His attacker was temporarily stunned, but fired a wild shot at Rashad and got him in the leg.