The Unexpected Affair

by Monica Richardson

  “Everybody’s not cut out for this. It’s a lot of work,” said Max. “But it’s what I know.”

  “And you’re great at it.”

  “I need help, though,” said Max. “Maybe we can talk about a partnership instead.”

  “I could probably handle that,” said Lane. “I can probably invest the money that you need to keep the doors open. Maybe I can be a silent partner.”

  “Let’s see how things go at the bank, and we’ll talk about it.”

  “Sounds like a plan.” Lane shook Max’s hand.

  Max stood. “How about another drink?”

  “Nah. I’d better turn in for the night. Mornings come a lot faster than expected.” Lane followed Max out of his office and to the door of the bar. “I’m going to call it a night.”

  “Don’t put too much worry into things, man. Give yourself a few days, and things will work out. Melvin will come around. And as for the woman you love, if it’s meant to be...”

  “Yeah, I know. If it’s meant to be, it will be.”

  “Exactly!”

  The two shook hands, and Lane walked out into the night. He drove home, his radio tuned to the Dallas radio station, 105.7. He cracked the window a bit and rested his head against the seat as he drove home.

  Chapter 30

  She didn’t know what made her agree to a weekend getaway with Jason, to his home on Galveston Island. Her mind said a resounding no when he asked, but her mouth defied her and said yes instead. On their first date, he’d spent more time talking about himself and handling business on his phone than getting to know her. She’d never felt more alone while in the company of another person. He was nothing like Lane, and she missed him dearly. But she justified it by telling herself that Jason was a nice distraction while trying with all her might to get Lane out of her system. Jason didn’t have all of the qualities she was looking for, but he had a good percentage. And he was anxious to show her just how much he had to offer.

  At least he’d gained Tasha’s approval, which was unusual. And she had everything he was looking for, too. She was a nice trophy for his arm, and he’d planned to show her off when he entertained his colleagues. When Jason invited Whitney to his beach home in Galveston for the weekend, he presented it as a way for them to get away and become better acquainted. However, the first night of their weekend he was planning a huge party for his colleagues. He literally said that her only job was to smile and be beautiful.

  When they arrived, she was in awe of the beauty of the place. There were mahogany wood floors throughout, silver appliances, French doors off the formal living room and hundreds of windows everywhere. The view of the ocean was breathtaking, and the home had been professionally decorated.

  “I’ll just place your things in here,” he said after giving her a quick tour. “This is the master. I’m sure you’ll be quite comfortable.”

  “I’m sure I will.” She stepped into the master bedroom and took a look around. It was beautiful. A huge king-size bed was in the center of the room, with huge posts and a canopy, with large matching dressers. A tasteful portrait hung over the bed.

  There was a dress laid out on the bed.

  “I’d like for you to wear that tonight, if you don’t mind,” said Jason.

  “I actually packed a nice dress,” she said.

  “If you don’t mind,” he insisted. “I’ll leave you to unwind and get settled. I have to run out for a bit, but the guests will begin to arrive about eight. If you could be ready before then, that would be great.”

  Before she could protest or inquire about any other details, he was gone. She heard the engine from his SUV fire up and he’d already pulled out of the circular drive. She was alone, and part of her felt grateful. She flipped on the television that was hidden inside a credenza. Found the channel for the NCAA basketball tournament. Lane’s alma mater, Missouri State University, was playing during college basketball’s March Madness. She wondered if he was watching. In fact, she knew he was watching. She hoped they would win.

  She went down the hallway and into the kitchen in search of a beverage. There wasn’t much in the refrigerator, as Jason was probably shopping for groceries. She didn’t know how often he frequented the home. She found a beer in the fridge but wasn’t quite sure how long it had been there. She wasn’t much of a beer drinker, but she needed one today. She searched the kitchen drawers for a bottle opener. Once she’d found it, she popped the top off her beer and took a drink. Went back into the bedroom, kicked her shoes off, hopped onto the bed and watched the game. She cheered for Lane’s team.

  The closer it got to eight o’clock, the more she regretted her decision to accompany him on this trip. But she reluctantly hopped into the shower, rubbed lotion all over her body and slipped into the skimpy dress that Jason had chosen for her to wear. She would get through the night and tomorrow she’d be back in Dallas in her comfortable home. And she was definitely taking a walk along that ocean before the night was over. Texas beaches were nothing like the ones in the Bahamas, but it was an ocean nonetheless.

  Soon the house was filled with strangers—Jason’s friends and colleagues, people she’d never met before in her life. Jason got lost in the crowd as she attempted to make small talk with some of his friends. They had nothing in common with her, and she quickly became bored.

  She slipped out the side door and decided to retreat to the beach. She removed her heels and her feet touched the warm sand. She looked up at the stars in the dark sky and smiled. She watched as the water brushed against the shore. The tide wasn’t high. In fact, it was quite calm. She let the water touch her feet. The ocean always made her feel better. However, thoughts of Lane consumed her. She missed him desperately. Wondered what he was doing. He usually worked most Saturdays and found himself retired to the sofa for the night. He was probably flipping the channels back and forth between basketball games and deciding which team he’d place his bet on. She giggled at the thought. He was an undercover gambler and in denial. She didn’t care. She loved him despite his vices.

  After she had a good stroll, she returned to the house.

  “Where have you been? I’ve been looking for you,” said Jason.

  “I went for a stroll on the beach.”

  “I was worried.” He lowered his voice to a whisper so that his guests couldn’t hear his reprimand.

  She couldn’t believe that she was being reprimanded by a guy she barely knew. She retreated to the kitchen, poured herself a glass of wine and nibbled on chunks of cheese, summer sausage and fruit slices. She hopped onto one of the bar stools at the island with the granite top. She was lonely and bored but was relieved when she finally heard people saying their goodbyes and beginning to leave.

  After most guests were gone except for a few, she made her way back to the master bedroom. She thought it appropriate to shut the door, take herself a long bubble bath and change into a pair of sweats and a T-shirt. It was time to unwind. It wasn’t like anyone would be looking for her. She decided to find a late-night movie and watch until her eyelids could no longer stay open. Jason and the few guests that were left spent a few hours chatting.

  After everyone was bid a farewell, a drunken Jason burst into the master bedroom and collapsed onto the bed. She’d misunderstood. She hadn’t thought he’d be sleeping in the room with her. After all, there were plenty of other bedrooms and she told him so.

  “Did you think we weren’t going to sleep together?” he asked as he removed his trousers, down to his boxer shorts.

  She was stunned. “This is not what I came here for.”

  “Well, what did you come here for? What were you thinking this was?”

  “I’d like to go home, please.”

  “Are you crazy? Dallas is not around the corner.”

  She stood and he stood, too, blocked the door. She tried to r
each around him for the handle and he became aggressive, grabbed her. He grabbed a handful of her breast and smiled. She backed away, but he reached for her, held on to her tightly. She tried with all her might to free herself from his grasp, but he was much stronger. She tussled with him a bit, and when she kneed him in the groin, he quickly understood the meaning of the word no.

  She grabbed her cell phone from the bed, rushed past him, swung the bedroom door open and took off running right out the front door. She escaped to the beach where she’d gone before. She unlocked her cell phone but had no idea who she would call. She would have called one of her brothers to rescue her had they been closer. However, her brother Edward was in Florida, Nate in Atlanta, and her youngest brother, Denny, was the farthest away, in the Bahamas. She’d have called Kenya, but she knew that Kenya didn’t drive long distances alone, and she would worry herself silly all night until she knew that Whitney was safe. She considered calling Kenya’s brother, Trey, but didn’t have his phone number in her phone.

  She thought of Lane. Contemplated calling him, but how would she explain where she was and why? Would he even pick up? He probably hated her at the moment, and she’d feel like crap if he blew her off. However, she really needed him. She didn’t have anyone else. She dialed his number. She didn’t expect him to pick up, but he picked up on the second ring.

  “Hello, stranger,” he said. His voice sounded so good and so cheerful. Not a bit of hate in it.

  She began to cry.

  “Whitney?” he said.

  “I need you.” She managed to get those words out.

  “What’s wrong, baby?” he asked. So much concern in his voice. And it felt so good to hear him call her baby.

  “I’m in a situation,” she said and explained what was happening.

  He didn’t hesitate to say “I’m coming to get you right now!”

  Relief overtook her body as she hung up.

  She quietly paced along the shores of the Gulf of Mexico as she patiently awaited Lane’s arrival. There were people on the beach, even as late as it was. Lovers cuddled on beach towels along the shore. She glanced at the house and could see Jason pacing back and forth through the glass windows. He didn’t look concerned enough to come look for her, and she was grateful. Soon she didn’t see him pacing anymore and assumed he’d passed out in a drunken sleep.

  In the matter of four hours that it took for Lane to travel from Dallas to Galveston, Whitney had made her way back to the house and taken a seat on the front steps. She saw the lights from Lane’s truck as he drove slowly down the block. She recognized his truck as soon as he turned onto the street. Her heart pounded. She was grateful to be leaving, but even more grateful that she’d be seeing his beautiful face in just a matter of minutes. She’d missed him so. He pulled into the circular drive and hopped out of the truck. She stood.

  “Hey,” he said when he saw her.

  She didn’t say anything, just rushed to him quickly and collapsed into his arms. Her hero had come to her rescue. He kissed her lips and held her tightly. She didn’t want him to let her go.

  “I’m so glad you’re here,” she whispered.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  “I am now.”

  He took her by the hand and walked her toward the truck. “Do you need to get your things?”

  “I’ll get them another time.”

  “You sure? Because I’ll make him give you your things,” said Lane.

  “There’s nothing in there that can’t be replaced.”

  “Ready, then?”

  She shook her head yes.

  Lane opened the passenger’s door of his Ford F-150, and she hopped inside. He got inside and started the engine. When she heard Lil Wayne’s voice fill the truck’s cab, she smiled. She was home.

  She looked over at him. Couldn’t stop staring. “Thank you,” she said.

  He looked at her. Smiled. “What were you doing with that creep, anyway?”

  “Trying to forget about you,” she admitted. “I missed you.”

  “I missed you, too.” He leaned over and kissed her. “I know that I don’t have everything that you’re looking for...”

  “You have everything that I need.”

  “I know your friends don’t think I’m good enough for you.”

  “I don’t care what they think. I know what I want.”

  He looked over at her. She wanted him so bad at that moment. She knew that he was not a perfect man, but she couldn’t help thinking that he was perfect for her.

  Chapter 31

  He held her close to his heart, because that’s where she belonged. That was where she would stay. He wouldn’t allow her out of his grasp again.

  “Are you sleeping?”

  “No,” she said softly. “Listening to your heartbeat.”

  “I thought I’d lost you for good. I saw you with him the other night.”

  “Him who?” she asked, and leaned her head up and placed her chin on his chest.

  “I think you know.” He smiled knowingly.

  “Were you stalking me?”

  “No, I came to your house that night to apologize and make things right. But you were with him. I saw him walk you to the door, kiss you on the cheek.”

  “Wow! And you didn’t say anything?”

  “Kinda like you did when you saw me with Nicole.”

  “Touché,” said Whitney. “It meant nothing, though. The entire time I was with him, I was thinking of you.”

  “That sounds like such a line.” He laughed.

  “It’s the truth.” She laughed, too. “I swear.”

  “It’s the truth, I swear,” he mocked her and then pulled her into him, kissed her.

  His tongue danced inside her mouth as she lay on top of his chest. He massaged the roundness of her backside. His fingertips danced up and down her side and then caressed her breasts. He grabbed one in his palms and wrapped his lips around it. Whitney moaned. He’d missed the sounds that she made when he pleased her.

  He rolled over and placed her beneath him, hovered over her. Kissed the space between her breasts. His lips then trailed her stomach and danced around her belly button. He kissed his way down to her thighs and lingered on the inside of them. His tongue began to dance in her sweet spot. She moaned again and gave him adventurousness to continue. Her legs trembled and her belly followed. He’d attained his goal of bringing her to climax. She breathed heavily and then he quickly moved up and placed himself inside her.

  “I love you,” she whispered.

  “I love you, too,” he whispered back and showed her just how much.

  She wrapped her brown legs around his waist, and before long he grasped her tightly as he reached his peak. He groaned with desire and then collapsed on top of her.

  * * *

  The smell of bacon brushed across his nose and he struggled to open his eyes. He looked over at the empty space next to him in bed. He pulled himself out of bed, went into the bathroom, brushed his teeth and washed his face. Crept into the kitchen. Whitney was standing in front of the stove wearing a T-shirt and a pair of boy-cut shorts. She swung her hips to the Rihanna tune that played softly on the stereo. She didn’t hear him enter the room and he liked it that way. He loved watching her. He leaned against the wall with his arms folded across his chest and enjoyed the view.

  She turned around and caught him spying. A smile spread across her face.

  “There you go with those stalker moves again,” she said.

  “I’m not stalking. I’m admiring.”

  She walked over and wrapped her arms around his waist, kissed his lips. “Did you sleep well?”

  “Yes, I did.”

  She walked back over to the stove and he followed. “I could tell, the way you were snoring.
”

  He stole a piece of bacon. “I don’t snore.”

  “Who told you that lie?” she asked. “As my dad would say, you were calling the hogs.”

  “Right!” He snatched another piece of bacon and she slapped his hand. He slapped her on the behind. “I’m going to get dressed. I have a run to make.”

  “Where are you going?” she asked with a smirk.

  “Can’t tell you.”

  “To place a bet?” she yelled as he left the room. She knew him too well.

  * * *

  He pulled into the parking lot and stepped inside the door. The jeweler recognized him immediately. He remembered how extremely specific he’d been about what he wanted. He wanted the elegant round ruby—her birthstone—with two glittering white diamond accents on each side. And he’d had it engraved with their names.

  “I didn’t think you were coming back for it,” said the jeweler. “You paid in full but never returned to pick it up.

  “I wasn’t sure if things were going to work out,” said Lane.

  “But you’re sure now?” asked the jeweler.

  “I’m pretty sure. I’m not letting her go this time.”

  The jeweler smiled. “Let me package it for you, sir.”

  “Thank you.”

  * * *

  She’d already eaten by the time he returned.

  “I tried to wait for you,” she said as she sat at his kitchen table.

  “It’s okay, babe.” He took a seat next to hers. Grabbed her hand, stared into her eyes.

  “What is wrong with you?” she asked with a giggle, and stuffed eggs into her mouth.

  He reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out the black velvet ring box. He opened it and held it in front of her face.

  She gasped.

  “It’s not an engagement ring.” He grinned. “It’s a promise ring. I promise that I’ll always be here for you whenever you need me. I won’t ever abandon you again. I promise to love you until we make the decision to love each other for life.”