by Dyanne Davis
“Now that you know, can I call Eric?”
“Terry, I’m not kidding. As bad as I feel about what Eric had to go through, there was still no need for him to have put that girl through all that he has.
“But, honey—”
“No buts. We’re going to stay out of this.”
“Ongie, honey, it’s hard. Neither of you has ever been in a war. I can understand where he’s coming from.”
“Did he talk to you about it, about what happened?”
“No, and I didn’t ask him to. He just mentioned a couple of things and I filled in the details. Don’t forget I also fought a very inhumane war. Eric will talk when he’s good and ready.
“He’d better get good and ready soon or I’m afraid it’s going to be too late. He’s going to have to do something drastic to keep his wife.”
“But Gabi loves him. Even you said she still loves him.”
“Of course she loves him, that’s why it hurts so much. He’s destroyed her spirit and her soul. If Eric wants that girl, he’d better learn to open his mouth and tell her what he’s dealing with inside. Saying he’s sorry is not going to cut it this time.”
Terry walked to his wife and held her in his arms. “I hope they make it.”
“Me too.” Ongela looked up at her husband. “We’ve all just got to have faith that they will.”
ANOTHER MAN’S BABY 229
Chapter Fifteen
From the moment she found the panties and condom in Eric’s car, Gabrielle had felt like the walking dead. But she was determined to get over it. Part of her wanted to quit her job and get one in the hospital but she refused to allow Jamilla to run her away. She went to work every day and did her job, the same as she always had. She laughed and joked with the patients and even pretended in front of Jamilla that her life was just fine.
Gabi no longer cared that Eric wasn’t going out. He no longer mattered to her. She’d filed for divorce and he’d been served. Still, he refused to leave the house.
In light of the situation, Gabi was trying to convince herself that Eric had never come home, that the past year she’d been living with a ghost. That was easier to do than she’d originally thought. It felt as if she had, because there was no way her husband would have ever put her through the things that Eric had put her through in the past months.
Her nerves felt raw, exposed. Gabi had dropped the stubborn ten pounds that had always refused to leave. If she’d known what it would take to get rid of the pounds she would have gladly kept them and added another ten.
She’d had one objective in the past weeks, one reason for going on. And its name was revenge. Gabi was going to make her husband feel the same pain he’d inflicted on her. She ignored the voices telling her not to do it, that it was wrong, that two wrongs didn’t make a right. She didn’t care.
Gabi was empty and knew she would be even emptier after what she was planning to do but it didn’t dissuade her from her plan. It hadn’t been all that hard to execute. Two phone calls and the plan was in motion. She was taking a page from Jamilla’s book, for she was somehow sure that the panties belonged to Jamilla. She’d considered sending the panties to a lab, along with the condom, but had burned them both before she could give in to such a vile desire. She refused to allow Eric or Jamilla to take her down that road. What she was planning was bad enough.
Tit for tat, she’d promised her husband and Gabi planned to keep her promise. She’d called the one person who would be able to plant the sword in the middle of her husband’s heart. It should hurt that she was doing this, but it didn’t. She was dead inside. Twice Gabi had visited a downtown club, The Orgasmic Stallion, and picked up books of matches that she had left casually next to lit candles in different areas of her home.
She’d had the bait laid out for her with the matches from Foxes Jazz Club she’d found in the bathroom at work. Now she was doing the same. For a moment Gabi cringed. What if she’d never written down the address, of the club? What if she’d never followed Eric there? What if she’d not found him with Jamilla? But she had taken the bait and she had gone to the club, and as someone had intended, she’d found her husband in Jamilla’s arms. Now it was her turn to return the favor, to make Eric wonder.
For two weeks she’d visited The Orgasmic Stallion alone. For two weeks she’d visited Reggie there. If Eric didn’t take the bait soon she might have to devise another plan. She knew Reggie was getting ideas in his head, ideas that she’d purposefully planted. Another week of this was about all Gabi could take before dumping her plan, before doing anything more drastic.
***
“Lieutenant, everything okay with you?”
Eric glanced over toward the sergeant’s desk. “Yeah, thanks for asking. How’re we doing? Are the numbers up?”
“A little here and there. I guess our going to the schools is finally paying off. There’s noise about our driving down to Belleville in a week or so.” He shrugged. “All the branches are going to go out together en masse.”
Eric saw the grimace that passed over the man’s face. They both mostly believed in their mission, but they were having a hard time doing it. It was a tough job and if a marine couldn’t do it, then it couldn’t be done. “How’s your son, Ross? Is he still stateside?”
Eric noticed that the sergeant swiped his lips with his tongue and blew out a breath before answering. “He’s still at Camp Pendleton. He has a couple more weeks of basic.”
“He doing okay?” Eric asked, sensing a problem.
“He’s scared.”
“Can’t say that I blame him. But we can’t have him going over there scared, can we? Cautious yes, but scared, he’ll get himself… Have you talked to him?” Eric asked, changing the direction of his statement.
“I’m so scared for him myself that I’m having a hard time. I know I need to build him up, give him confidence, but he’s my son.”
“Want me to talk to him?”
“Are you up to it?”
Eric was aware of what he was being asked. “I’m a marine, I’m up for it.”
“You okay, Lieutenant?”
“That’s the second time you’ve asked me that.”
“That’s the second time you didn’t answer.”
Eric laughed. If it weren’t for the particular assignment he’d be content to remain here. He got along with the sergeant. “My marriage is going down the tubes and it’s my fault. My wife isn’t talking to me.”
“Marriages go through rough patches. If you love each other you’ll make it work.”
“She’s been trying so damn hard, as hard as I’ve been trying to wreck things. I have to tell you, we are the couple that this should have never happened to. She’s all I ever wanted since I was seventeen years old. It took me so many years to get up the nerve to tell her how I felt about her…and now…”
“The clubbing. Is that what got you in hot water?”
“No, the war, the clubbing was just the last straw.”
“Did you know that I’ve never seen action, not in Desert Storm, not in Bosnia, not now? I volunteered three times to go, but I was never sent over. My blood pressure is so damn high that I’m thankful I haven’t been kicked out all together,
“You feel guilty for not going?” Eric asked.
“Yes.” The men looked at each other before turning to stare at opposite walls. Then the sergeant turned to Eric. “And you feel guilty for coming home.”
“Yeah.”
“You sure you’re going to be able to talk to my son? I mean, I want him safe and I want him to come home without guilt.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t drop any of my personal crap on the kid when I call him. He’s made his decision and I’ll let him know it was a good one and that he should be proud of it.” Eric pulled in a deep breath. “I’m still proud of being a marine. I have doubts about things, but basically I feel proud. I’m really hoping things work out for your son.”
“Yeah, me too.”
Eric decid
ed to end the conversation before it went any farther. He wasn’t ready to talk to the sergeant about the possibility of his son not coming home. And he sure as heck wasn’t ready to admit that it wasn’t that Gabi was just not talking to him, that she’d asked for a divorce and meant it.
Eric swallowed, still unable to believe he’d actually received papers stating for all the world to see that Gabi no longer wanted to be married to him. He was refusing to move out of the house, hoping she’d come to her senses, realize her mistake, that they were soul mates who couldn’t get divorced.
He’d screwed up big time and now he was serving time waiting for Gabi to forgive him. She’d been almost to that point before finding the panties and condom in the car. Eric had a good idea who’d probably put them there, Jamilla, but he hadn’t sought her out to ask.
Eric didn’t want to give her ammunition to use against his wife. Asking Jamilla would mean it bothered Gabi. Eric had tried pointing that out to Gabi, but the look she’d given him for even having Jamilla in his car was reason enough not to pursue it. Besides, he had a feeling Jamilla would lie if asked and say things happened that hadn’t.
It seemed good sense always came a little too late. He’d stopped going clubbing and now Gabi had started. He’d attempted conversations, but she’d looked daggers through him, not answering. He’d even offered to go with her, to no avail. Something about the club she was going to preyed on Eric’s mind. He’d heard the name before but didn’t know where.
Finding out more about the club where Gabi was going came to be all that he cared about. Finally, Eric typed the name, The Orgasmic Stallion, in the search engine of his work computer. Using the computer for personal things was frowned on and this was the first time Eric had ever done it. At the moment he didn’t care. He got lucky on the first try.
Male exotic dancers strutted on the computer screen. Eric couldn’t believe it. His wife was going to a strip club. He should have guessed that from the name of the place. He was surprised to see how big the place was, amazed at the number of employees. Then he clicked on pictures, saw the wait staff, the bartenders, and swore out loud when he saw the face of Gabi’s old boyfriend Reggie. “Damn, I don’t believe it.”
“Anything wrong, Lieutenant?”
Eric turned off the computer. So that was where his wife was spending her nights. Hell no, no way.
***
The hours for his shift didn’t end soon enough. Eric couldn’t wait to get home to confront his wife. And she was still his wife. He had no intention of letting her spend her nights in a strip club and definitely not one where her old boyfriend worked.
Eric tried to calm down as he thought of all the matches that had recently appeared around their home. He smiled. It was Gabi’s way of getting even. He thought maybe he should let her get it out of her system, but the very thought that getting it out of her system might mean her going to bed with Reggie made him crazy. He couldn’t just sit around and wait for that to happen.
Eric had hoped that he could talk to Gabi but the moment he walked up the stairs he could smell the faint hint of the vanilla perfume Gabi used. Eric sucked in a breath. That scent mixed with Gabi always brought him to his knees. Now was no different. He stared through the bedroom door watching her dress. He made noise but she refused to even turn in his direction. He sighed loudly. Still nothing. He walked slowly toward her.
Gabi applied an extra coat of lipstick, doing her best to ignore Eric. He was staring at her, trying to make her turn. She was nervous enough already, dressed as she was. She looked like anybody’s slut. She took a deep breath, trying to give herself courage to leave the house and go out in public in the getup she had on.
When Eric started walking toward her, she almost lost it. Even now, as angry as she was, she couldn’t not appreciate his walk. He was slow, graceful, sensual, even when he wasn’t trying. He had always reminded her of a sleek black panther with his beautiful brown eyes. She felt herself weakening and moistness collecting in her center. Habit, she scolded herself, just habit, but nevertheless she felt a tremor in her chest.
Gabi had spent a good portion of her life loving this man. She couldn’t think about that now. She’d given him a year of chances, and he’d done the unthinkable. Now it was her turn to make him feel what she’d felt every day for months. He was worried, she knew that. He deserved to worry, she thought, and applied yet another coat of lipstick, ignoring the fact that her hand shook as she was doing it.
“Where are you going, Gabi?”
Eric walked up to her and looked her up and down. The tight top that was more like a scarf barely covered her breasts and showed ample cleavage and most of her abdomen. He frowned at the tight black leather pants she had on. Eric walked slowly around his wife, looking at her and making his displeasure at her appearance known. He narrowed his eyes and stared at her new hairdo.
Then Eric came to stand directly in front of Gabi. She was going over the top, he thought, just to prove a point. He looked at the makeup on her face, a ton in his estimation, way more than he was used to her wearing.
“Where are you going, Gabi? You’re dressed like a hoochie.”
“You didn’t seem to mind it when Jamilla wore an outfit way more revealing.”
“Jamilla is a hoochie, you’re my wife. Now don’t make me ask you again. Where are you going?”
“I’m going to a movie.”
“A movie?” He narrowed his glare. “Dressed like that?”
“Why not?”
“Mind if I come along?”
“I don’t think you’ll like the picture. It’s a chick flick, a love story.”
“I like love stories.”
“It’s a girls’ night out.”
“Sounds like you don’t want me to come.” He watched while a flash of annoyance crossed her face.
“Look, Eric,” she began, “we’re technically separated. You live your life and I live mine. I’ve filed already for divorce, you have your papers. There is no reason for you to question me about my comings and goings.”
“You’re still my wife.”
“Yeah, right, and that means a hell of a lot, doesn’t it? If you had thought about the fact that you were my husband, maybe none of this would have happened.”
Her voice had turned sharp. She was more than a bit annoyed; it was no longer an act.
“Listen, Eric, why don’t you go back to doing what you were doing for months. Just go back to staying out and don’t come back.”
Eric swallowed around the lump in his throat. “Are you doing what you think I’ve done?”
She glared at him. Annoyed was no longer how she was feeling; she was downright furious. “Why are you so worried about what I’m doing? I’m divorcing you. What I do is no longer your concern.”
“You’re still my wife,” Eric growled.
“Not for long.” Gabi turned slowly, her voice calm, icy cold. “The appraiser’s coming tomorrow.”
“We’re not selling the house.”
“Then buy me out.” Gabi was glaring. She was hurting and she wanted to stop. It had been much too long. Electric currents were running through her body. There was a slight buzzing sound near her right ear. She swiped at it with her hand, not in the mood to listen to voices telling her to have faith. She’d had enough of that. “Why are you still here? Why can’t you just leave?”
“I can’t.”
“You can.” Gabbie glared at him.
“I’m not going to stand by and watch you become a tramp.”
“Now, isn’t that the pot calling the kettle black? You thought nothing of it when you were doing it.”
“You’re my wife,” Eric repeated helplessly, knowing that his words carried little power.
“And this is my body. I’ll tell you this much, Eric. If I am sleeping with anyone it’s because I want to. If I sleep with them twice it’s because they’re getting the job done.” Gabi turned and walked out the door, allowing the anger to take control. How dare he think h
e could now play the enraged, jealous husband? For a minute she wished Reggie did it for her. If he so much as stirred desire within her, even a little bit, she’d give him some. Too bad for Gabi, she didn’t want Reggie.
Eric couldn’t believe the way Gabi sashayed out the house as if he didn’t even exist. He thought of her with Reggie, and the fury burned in his brain. Yeah right, she was going to a movie dressed the way she was. She’d better hope and pray he didn’t find her at the club. Regardless of what Gabi thought, they were still married. And if he had anything to do about it he intended they stay that way.
It didn’t matter that it had taken this long for the fog to clear. Now that it had, he was beyond thinking he wanted his wife to find someone else. That was a lie, and had always been a lie. He didn’t want Gabi with anyone but him.
Eric changed from his uniform, pushing to the back of his mind the thought that he had been the one to start them on this path. But he was doing as he’d said. He was going to counseling. It didn’t matter that he’d only been once in the past month. That was all the time he had.
***
The pounding music was giving Gabrielle a headache. Clubbing had never been her thing and having to fight Reggie off while at the same time keeping him close enough to use for her plans was wearing her out.
“Girl, you sho ’nuff know you’re fine. Marriage ain’t took nothing from you.” Reggie eyed her up and down. “You could stand to gain about ten pounds though.”
For the first time in a month Gabi laughed and meant it. She’d tried to lose those pounds for years and now that she finally had, wasn’t it just like a man to tell her she needed to regain them? She grinned at Reggie. “Thanks.”
It did feel good to have him looking at her as though she were a tasty treat but that was all it was, a compliment, nothing more. Gabi didn’t feel the tightening in the pit of her stomach. She didn’t feel her juices flow. She didn’t feel the love.
“Ladies, get your hands together for Chocolate Pudding.”