by Kim J. West
I took her arm firmly, walked the few steps towards the front door and opened it, then called up the regular elevators. Lena followed us and watched as Nadine shook off my arm. Nadine then faced Lena head on, trying to stare her down, spoiling for a fight. Lena took one menacing step towards her and her defiance seemed to evaporate instantly. She headed into the elevator then turned around.
"Well,” Nadine spat rudely, “I guess I’d better leave before I get ghetto stabbed."
And with that, she quickly pressed a button and the elevator doors closed.
I went back inside the penthouse, snatched the landline phone and dialed the concierge.
"George, I had an unwanted guest who I forgot to remove from my unrestricted access list. Please scrap Nadine Bishop from my guest list and delete her access code. Instruct security to escort her from the building right now. She's on her way down to the lobby. Do it now, damn it." I slammed the phone down and ran my hands through my hair. Now was the time to face Lena.
She glared at me briefly, then turned around and headed upstairs without a word. Damn it; I was in deep shit. I felt the feeling of dread grip me for a moment. I couldn’t believe I was actually scared to go and face her. I could tell she wasn’t going to let this go easily. I decided to brave it.
When I got to my suite she was already tucking her blouse into her skirt, while slipping on her shoes. It was obvious she was leaving and that’s the last thing I wanted.
"Lena,” I began gently as though approaching a wounded animal, “please don't be angry. I'm sorry about what happened."
She was silent for a moment.
"A prostitute?" she asked me with disbelief, pausing from tucking in her shirt.
I took a tentative step towards her, my hands lifted to placate her.
"She was out of line, and I apologize she spoke to you that way,” I said remorsefully.
She responded by snorting in derision.
"Ghetto stabbed?" she asked indignantly.
I was completely mortified; Nadine had been particularly vicious. She continued.
"So because I'm black in a white guy's apartment, I must be a hooker, huh?"
She stuffed her panties in her purse and slung it over her shoulder then walked out, her feet thudding angrily on the stairs. What could I say to make it right? I was both embarrassed and angry about the whole mess. I followed her to try and convince her to at least stay for dinner where I hoped she’d calm down.
I got to her just as she pressed the button to open the private elevator.
"Lena, please don't leave like this,” I pleaded. “We had such a good time; dinner is in the kitchen...”
I tried to hug her from the back but she pushed me away. She entered the elevator and faced me with a furious look on her face.
"Just remember one thing, Mr. Carter,” she said looking at me right in the eye. “Do not fuck with me."
She pressed the P, turned her back and she left me.
I leaned my hands on the sides of the elevator, my head hanging low for what seemed like an eternity.
“Shit!” I said out loud. How the hell was I going to solve this incident?
I walked to my home office and dialed Jackson. He answered without me hearing a ring.
“Jackson, returning your call.”
“We have done a full sweep sir. We have checked the flash drive Weiner had; he was bluffing. There is nothing on it. There are no other copies, not even on his sister’s computer.”
“Ok, good,” I said breathing a sigh of relief. “Just keep an eye on him until he signs the agreement. I’m leaving for the airport 7.15am tomorrow as you know. So we will talk in the morning. Anything else?”
“No, sir.”
After I ended the call I called Nadine.
“Hi,” she answered flirtatiously as though she hadn’t just fucked up my life.
“Nadine, if you ever come anywhere near me again, you will regret it, do you understand me?”
“I’m sorry, Jonathan; I was out of line. Has she left? If so, can I come over and apologize?”
“You’ve been warned,” I replied coldly.
“What about money? I don’t think I will make rent this month.”
“Why don’t you stay in the condo you are renting with Reginald Weiner?” I asked her.
She remained silent.
“Or perhaps the ten thousand dollars you spent in Hawaii in a honeymoon suite could have covered all your costs. You are on your own, Nadine.”
I cut the call without wanting to hear her voice ever again. If she wanted money, she could always sell something; over the time I’d known her, she’d bought a quarter of a million dollars worth of merchandise with my card, including her BMW car. I was done with her for good.
I looked at the time; it was after 9.00pm. I dialed Lena’s number. After a few rings, a busy signal came over the line; she had deliberately cut my call. I sent her a text.
“I should never have let you leave like this. I'm sorry. Are you home safe?”
After a few minutes she replied.
“I'm safe.”
I tried calling her again hoping she’d answer; but her number went straight to voicemail. She’d probably switched off her phone so I couldn’t reach her.
I’d have to wait until she cooled off then try reach her tomorrow. I’d be in Miami for a few days, but I was certain that after she’d slept on it, she’d be alright. After all, I’d done all I could, given the circumstances.
I went to the kitchen and forced myself to eat my dinner, trashing what was left, packed my documents and clothes for my trip to Miami, then went to bed.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Next morning, Mason and I had an early session at 6.00am. I was feeling lousy and not really into the sparring workout. Mason had already dropped me several times when he finally confronted me.
“Shit, man Carter. Where the fuck are you man?”
I waved him off. “Too much shit going on.”
He went to the fridge, took a bottle of water, threw it to me then grabbed one for himself.
“Is this about the girl you spoke about last time?”
I shrugged. “I suppose.”
He threw his head back and laughed. “Tell me about this girl who has you acting like a total bitch.”
I smiled at his insult. “Nothing to tell, man. I like her but we can’t get a break.”
“White chick?”
“Nope.”
He looked at me with a bewildered expression.
“Asian? Latina?”
I shook my head.
“Carter, man stop being a secretive bitch. I signed your damn NDA,” he reminded me rudely. “She’s not black, is she?”
“Yep.”
He looked at me shocked, then threw his head back and laughed so hard, until he sat down on the floor, drying his tears.
“That explains why you are acting like crap. Wait till you get fucked up.”
“Already kinda happened, man. On our first date.”
He looked at me again and cackled and guffawed hard. I couldn’t help smiling at his dramatic reactions.
“Yo man, you gotta tell me, is she one of them skinny, flat chicks or what.. the kind you white dudes like?”
I shook my head drinking my water and his eyes and smile widened ridiculously.
“What? You got yourself a black chick with curves?”
I offered him a fist bump in response and he laughed again, this time making me laugh too at his ridiculous responses.
“Man, I don’t want all your dirty in my mind. But you need to think hard if you can handle a black female, man. I mean, just look how you’re acting all fucked up. They are not easy to deal with.”
I shrugged him off. “We just need time to sort through some stuff; no big deal.”
Then he went all philosophical on me.
“The thing is, by the time a black female becomes a woman, some asshole has already destroyed her trust. Maybe countless times, she has trusted
again and again and been disappointed. But instead of breaking down, she becomes stronger and hardened and she don’t take any shit. A black female needs proof that you won’t let her down. If you can break down that wall, she will love you to death, man. Just don’t fuck it up. She will walk away from you like you never ever existed. And your money won’t save you either, man. So if she’s giving you problems, it’s because she don’t trust you. If your shit ain’t straight and she suspects you might hurt her? She will get you first.”
I nodded, wondering why I was listening to Mason, the womanizer. It was as though he heard my thoughts.
“I admit I fucked up my marriage. It’s late now, but I wish I hadn’t messed her around. That woman could give her all, man.” He nodded to himself as though the last sentence was for him, not me.
Suddenly his eyes lit up and he stood, securing his boxing mitts.
“I’ll fight you for a date with her, Carter,” he suggested, circling me and flexing. “Best out of three; how about it? You scared your moneyed-ass will lose her to me?”
If Lena knew I was gambling with her as the prize she’d probably have my balls, but I couldn’t resist a challenge. I threw my bottle in the trash; my head was back in the game. With lightning quick jabs and kicks, I won the next three rounds against Mason, dropping him hard to the floor each and every time.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
When I was in the air flying to Miami with my team, I thought about what Mason had said. I wondered if Lena’s past experience with Willis had a part to play in why she was always ready to walk. What happened last night was bad, but I felt like she was over-reacting. She’d threatened me, told me not to fuck with her. I smiled at how feisty she was. I’d message her later; I was sure by then she’d have cooled off.
Our meetings in Miami began with a lunch then tough negotiations in the afternoon. Everything went off without a hitch. We hoped to finalize the agreements the next day.
Late afternoon, Pike, Dixon, Janice and I went to the bar of the hotel we were staying in for cocktails. It was close to 6.30pm and the sun was still shining brightly in Miami. We were ushered to an exclusive table and while everyone was busy chatting, I decided to check on Lena, hoping all was forgotten. I sent her a text to find out if she was missing me.
“Busy day. Miss you. And you?”
She replied moments later.
“Yes very busy.”
From her tone, she deliberately ignored what she knew I wanted answered. I persisted with another text, removing all ambiguity.
“Did you miss me?”
I waited ten anxious minutes then her reply had my heart beating hard.
“I can't miss you, because it's over. Forever this time. I don’t want you anymore. We should see other people.”
“What the fuck!” I said out loud, alarming my colleagues and turning a few heads. I read and re-read the message.
“Jonathan is everything all right?” asked Pike. I looked around the table at my colleagues, realizing I’d cursed out loud. I excused myself and headed up to my hotel room.
When I got to my suite I began pacing up and down, contemplating my next step. Fuck! I thought. She was going too far. Was she breaking up with me over Nadine? The situation last night had been unpleasant but what wrong did I do? No; I was handling her with kid gloves. She’d said I mustn’t fuck with her? Well it was time for her to know she mustn’t fuck with me either.
Just then I heard a timid knock at my door. I opened it and found Janice standing there.
“Yes?” I asked her tersely, wondering what the hell she wanted.
“We are a little worried about you, I was wondering if there was anything I could do to help?”
I thought for a moment; decision made.
“Janice, arrange for the jet to take me back to Atlanta right now. And arrange for a driver to take me to the airport. I’ll be down in fifteen minutes.”
She was flustered and in a panic.
“But, we have meetings tomorrow morning; should we cancel those? Are we all going back?”
“No,” I replied beginning to dial Jackson. “You guys stay; I’ll be back tomorrow morning. A situation in Atlanta needs my urgent attention.”
“Is it something I can help with? Do you want me to go with you?” she called after me as I walked to my bedroom.
“It’s personal,” I replied shutting my door to get ready.
Within fifteen minutes, I was headed to the airport, going back to Atlanta to deal with Lena. I’d changed into casual clothes, wearing Jeans, a white T-shirt and my brown leather jacket. I had left everything else back in my hotel room.
My jet took a while to sort out paperwork to secure a takeoff slot, but by 7.30pm I was in the air headed home.
Besides a shot of Hennessy, I refused everything else offered by the flight attendant. The more I thought about Lena’s dumping message to me, the angrier I got. She was totally uncontrollable. I’d had enough of her treating me like I was expendable.
What did she mean by ‘I don’t want you anymore?’ Who the fuck would she want to be with besides me?
See other people? Ha! From my cold dead hands. Did she have some other fucker lined up? The thought filled me with rage and thoughts of violence against any man who would dare stand in my fucking way when it came to her. Lena was mine.
I knew if she’d readily complied with every one of my desires I’d have become bored with her within days. So far she’d kept me on my toes, but breaking up with me by text was a step too far.
She didn’t want me anymore? Fuck that. She was going to have to say it to my face. It’s over? Over for who? This certainly did not apply to me. We were far from over and she would find out tonight.
By the time I landed in Atlanta just before 10.00pm, my anger had turned to fury. I had psyched myself up and was determined that Lena would hear me out. I was not in the mood to hear any of her bullshit. If this was Willis who’d made her that way, tonight she’d forget he ever existed.
Jackson was already waiting dutifully for me when I disembarked and entered the Tahoe. I confirmed my flight with the pilots for 6.30am early next morning to return to Miami.
I instructed Jackson to head for Lena’s apartment in Midtown and we sat in stony silence.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
When I arrived at her apartment, I rang the doorbell repeatedly then knocked on her door. I waited a minute then seeing no response, I dialed her number. She answered on the sixth ring.
"Hi," she answered sounding sleepy.
"Lena, I'm at the door. Let me in,” I said curtly, then cut the phone. I rang her doorbell again then knocked louder. I was prepared to stand there all night until she let me in.
A minute later, Lena opened the door a fraction. She looked sleepy and cross.
"Jonathan, what are you doing here?" she asked, a frown marring her forehead.
"Are you going to let me in?" I demanded, looking at her expectantly.
The next door neighbor’s front door light came on and Lena quickly stood aside and I entered her apartment. She shut the door and I turned to face her, noting she was dressed in just a T-shirt and panties.
"Jonathan, would you like a seat?" she offered audaciously. Did she think I was here to play games?
"No I don't," I snapped. "What are you playing at Lena? What do you mean ‘it's over'?"
"Well, I mean this whole 'whatever we are having' can't go on."
"Why? We already talked about this."
"I just can't do it anymore, not with your bitches disrespecting me and you doing nothing to defend me."
"Okay, so this is about Nadine?"
"It's about the way she spoke to me and the way you acted."
She was speaking through gritted teeth, facing me squarely. I shook my head in disbelief.
"The way I acted? I threw her out and had her banned from my place, what more did you want?" I demanded, raising my voice. I didn’t care who was listening; she was beyond ridiculous with her acc
usation. Lena went mad.
"What more did I want?” she seethed, radiating hostility. “How about to mean something to you? You didn't even bother telling her I was somebody who mattered. I'm just a nobody that you fuck from the office pool. I'm not going to be your bed warmer anymore; then have you be ashamed of me when your ‘hoes’ show up. I. Am. Done."
She folded her arms protectively across her chest, shaking with anger. This woman was out of control.
I walked towards her, glaring at her, until we were mere inches apart.
“You are totally unmanageable, do you know that?” I told her, rage coursing through my veins.
“If I’m a problem you can’t handle, then you know where to go,” she hissed, getting up in my face, pointing to the door. “Like I said, Jonathan; it’s over.”
After she said it was over, I could sense the unmistakable vulnerability beneath her rage. She didn’t want this to end; she was just projecting her past disappointments on to me. But a person who is vulnerable does not understand weakness; they only understand strength.
I knew then that Lena needed a good fuck; one where I’d show her, her place. I felt my cock responding in agreement.
"You know what, Lena?” I fumed, “We will never, be over."
I threw my cell phone on the couch and grabbed her around her waist, kissing her impatiently and roughly. I pulled back for a moment, and looked deep into her brown eyes.
“And do you know how problems like you get handled?” I seethed. “They get fucked.”
She opened her mouth to respond but I kissed her again, kneading her ass and pulling her against my rigid arousal, so she could feel what she did to me.
I could tell she was battling within herself to resist me, but I was insistent, my tongue stroking hers relentlessly. My desire for her was more intense than anything I’d ever experienced in my life, yet I was still furious with her. So she thought she could just say a few words and end our relationship just like that?
"I'm not going to be gentle today," I warned her between kisses. "You've made me so mad."