She nodded. "Oh, well you should have called if you were going to stay out late."
"Sorry about that."
"That's okay. How are things between you two? I've noticed that you two have been disagreeing a lot lately."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm not stupid, D. I know she doesn't want to stay here, but sometimes, you have to put your pride to the side and do things that you don't want to do."
I nodded. "That's true."
"But I do have to agree with her on one thing. When are you going to find a better job? You have been at the store for four years now. You should have either been promoted to manager by now or moved on to something with more responsibility and more money."
I took a deep breath. I knew she would have something to say about that.
"Unfortunately, I'm not qualified for a promotion."
"You should be. That just doesn't make any sense."
"Well, I'm not, so can we drop it, please?"
My aunt nodded. "Sure. Dwight, I just want you to do better for yourself. I know you're trying, but you need to try harder. I don't expect you to stay here a long time, and you shouldn't either."
"Believe me, I'm working on it."
"Asia found a good job, so you need to do the same," she said then turned and went toward the kitchen I sat on the bed, feeling a little upset about what my aunt had said. When had she ever been on Asia's side about anything? But she had a point. I needed to do something with my life instead of staying at a dead-end job and making stupid decisions. I had to improve my financial situation so I could get my life back and possibly my wife.
As far as getting back in Asia's good graces, I'd have to do a lot more than get a better job. I'd have to grovel and beg her to come back to me. I'd fucked up pretty badly; hopefully, she'd find it in her heart to forgive me and agree to work on our marriage, because no matter the mistakes I'd made, I still loved her. And I would do what it took to get her back.
***
After sitting in my room for an hour, I called Warren to see if he could come by and pick me up. After listening to him whine for five minutes, he finally agreed and told me to pack a bag so I could stay with him for a while. When he arrived, he came in and spoke to his mom for a few minutes before quickly going back to his car. I let Aunt Jordan know that I was staying with Warren for a few days and that I'd let her know when I'd be back. Even though she was a little hesitant, she nodded and asked about Asia. I told her that she'd be at her dad's and would probably be back soon. I didn't want to lie to her, but I didn't want her to know that I'd cheated and that Asia had disappeared. I didn't know where she could be, but it couldn't be far since she really didn't have any friends, and her dad was her only relative in the city. When we arrived at Warren's house, I sat in his car, not sure if I wanted to go in.
He glanced at me and sighed. "Man, get out of the damn car."
"I will, I'm just thinking."
"Listen, it's not my fault you went and fucked a co-worker and your wife doesn't want you. You have bigger things to think about, like getting those things together for Tyrone before he starts bitching."
I shook my head and sighed. "Damnit, I forgot the box at your mom's."
Warren sighed. "I thought that would have been the first thing you'd grab. You better hope my mom doesn't go through that room because you know she loves to snoop."
"I have to go back."
"Not on my watch, you're not. You'll just have to go when you have a ride. Hell, I don't know how you let her take the car anyway."
"Because it's hers. I only made one payment on the car."
He laughed. "I have nothing to say about that. You're lucky as hell that she never cheated on you."
"How do I know that she hasn't?"
Warren turned to me, and I looked ahead.
"Why do you say that?" he asked.
"Something has been bothering me ever since she confronted me. One of her bosses was the one who came when she was going berserk. How would he know where she was?"
"I don't know; maybe she found out what you were doing while she was at work."
I shook my head. "No. There's another thing that had me a little bothered. I went to her job earlier yesterday to get my phone; she wasn't there, but I met both of her bosses. The dude that found her at my job was smirking, like he knew what was going on. Not only that, but he had her scent on him."
Warren leaned back and brought a fist to his mouth. "Whoa! What you doing smelling him?"
"Please, idiot; it wasn't like that. When I shook his hand, I noticed both of her scents on him, her favorite perfume and the scent only I would know. I think she's fucking her boss."
Warren laughed. "If that's the case, you know how she got her job."
I shoved Warren, and he laughed even harder.
"This shit isn't funny!" I yelled. "I don't want to believe that because I didn't think she was the type to do something like that, but what if she is?"
"I don't know what to tell you, cuz. Maybe you should talk to her and find out."
"And how am I going to do that? She probably can't even stand to look at me after what happened."
"Are you still going to be with Tonya?"
I glanced at him and exhaled. "If the mood strikes, I probably will."
Warren smirked. "And you wonder why you're in the mess you're in."
I leaned back in my seat. Screwing another woman was part of the reason why I was in the mess I was in. Now I'd have to pray that I didn't get caught up with my recent trouble.
Asia
It was the next day, and I was in Bryon's bed, still wondering what I should do. He told me to not go into the office so I could clear my mind and figure out what I wanted to do.
I took a long shower, thinking about how Bryon held me last night; it felt so good. I wished he was here now, but he'd gone into the office for a little while. He told me he wouldn't be long so we could get ready for the evening he'd promised me.
As for my things, I didn't want to face Dwight so soon, so Bryon insisted that I use his credit card to get what I needed until I figured out when I wanted to return to the house. I thought it was really sweet of him and told him I'd would pay him back, but he declined. I figured I just use it for some necessities since I still had a few items in my car.
I picked up my phone and dialed my friend, Isha, to let her know what was going on. I didn't want to burden her with my problems since she'd just had a baby, but I had to talk to someone. She answered on the third ring, and I smiled.
"Hey, girl, I was thinking about you. What are you up to?" she asked. I could hear her daughter, Cecilia, crying. Isha and I met our sophomore year in college while taking a class together. We instantly clicked, which was rare for me since I didn't make friends easily. Since then, we had endured a lot, from break-ups to when she married her college sweetheart and had a baby. While she had a good life, I was married to someone who just didn't care about his life and where it was heading. Isha had warned me to stay away from Dwight, but I didn't listen then. Now, I wished I had.
"Hey. I'll call you back since you're taking care of Cecilia."
"Girl, stop. Cecilia is always crying. Besides, she's just hungry so I'm fixing her a bottle. So tell me please, what is going on with you? I need to be in the loop on someone's life instead of always changing diapers and getting puked on."
I sighed. "Where should I start?"
"It's that bad?"
I took a deep breath and a few tears fell down my cheeks.
"Are you crying? What's going on?" she asked.
"It's Dwight. He's been cheating on me with one of his co-workers."
"Are you serious?! How did you find out?"
"He left his phone in the car, which was nothing new, but when I found out he came to my job looking for it, I knew something was wrong. I went through his phone and found a video of him and some girl having sex."
"Oh honey, I'm so sorry! Did you confront him?"
"Did I? I went to his job and
made an ass out of myself, throwing his stuff out of the car. If Bryon hadn't stopped me, I probably would have done something worse."
"Wait, is Bryon your boss?"
Isha knew about my new job, but I never went into details about my relationship with Bryon. Maybe it was time to tell her.
"Yeah, but we've kind of become really good friends. I stayed with him last night."
Isha was silent on her end, which made me a little nervous. I didn't know how she would react to that since I was married.
"That doesn't sound like you, A, but considering the circumstances, I can understand," she finally replied.
"Nothing happened; we just talked and slept. That's all."
"Were you two in the same bed?"
"Yes."
"And he didn't try to touch you?"
"He held me, but that was it."
"Wow. Have you two done anything?"
Now it was my turn to sit in silence.
"A..."
"We kissed, and I let him touch me. Actually, I let him do a lot more than touching."
"Nooooo! A!"
"What?! I didn't expect things to go that far, but so much has happened, and he's been there for me. You should see him though. He is so fine!"
"Who is this new Asia I'm talking to? The old you would never act like this."
"I've just been through a lot recently, and finding out that Dwight cheated on me was the final straw."
"I understand, sweetie. But are you staying with Bryon because you don't have anywhere else to go? You know you can stay with me and Raymond."
"I was thinking about it, but I'm not sure."
"Please, A, you know you're more than welcome. Besides, I need my best friend around more. I'm sorry that I haven't been there for you."
"Don't apologize. You have a newborn, so course you're in my life as much."
"Well, that's going to change. You're going through a lot, and I need to support you. Pack whatever you have and come over here. I'll even cook your favorite meal."
I was smiling when I heard some keys jingling outside. Bryon walked in with a grin.
"Was that the door? Is that Bryon? Put him on the phone," Isha told me.
"What? No, Isha, I will not."
"I just want to thank him for taking care of you; that's all."
He came over and sat beside me. He picked my feet up, placed them in his lap then slowly rubbed them, which made my smile bigger. Even though we were just friends, there were some things that had taken us out of that zone and into something more. This was one of those things, but right now, I didn't care.
"Is he beside you? I really want to talk to him."
"Fine," I caved in and handed the phone to Bryon. "My friend, Isha, wants to speak to you."
He raised an eyebrow then took the phone. "Hello, Isha."
I listened as they talked; I couldn't believe her! But Bryon was being very cool about it. He even laughed a couple of times. After their conversation, he gave the phone back to me, and I told Isha bye and hung up.
"Wow, your friend is funny and sweet. She's just looking out for you, A."
"I know she is. What did she tell you, though?"
"That she's glad that I'm here for you and that she wants to meet me."
"Oh really? I'm not sure that's a good idea."
"I think it is. I'm sure I'll get along with any of your friends."
I smiled as he continued rubbing my feet. He glanced at me with those sexy eyes of his, giving me tingles.
"Are you ready for our little adventure?"
"Sure. I'm anxious to see where we're going."
"I'm sure you are. Let me go take a quick shower and get ready. You probably should do the same."
"What should I wear?"
"I'm glad you asked," he replied. He walked to the door and pulled out a big box, which I didn't notice when he walked in. He came over and handed it to me.
"I got your size from one of your dresses. I really hope you don't mind."
I glanced at him then lifted the top. I took in the most gorgeous dress I'd ever seen. It was a navy blue empire dress that would accentuate my shape perfectly.
I looked in his eyes, and he smiled. "The saleswoman and Maxine helped me with it. Maxie even has a pair of shoes that matches the dress."
"How does she know –?"
"I looked at your shoes to get your size."
I laughed. "You thought of everything."
"I wanted to make this night perfect for you."
I stood up and wrapped my arms around him. He held me while I took a deep breath.
"Thank you," I said.
"Go ahead and get ready. We have a long drive ahead of us."
"Okay, now I'm very curious about where we're going."
"You'll know in time. In fact, pack what you might need because I'm thinking about making this an overnight trip, if you're okay with it."
I nodded. "Sure, that's fine."
He nodded, kissed my cheek, then walked into his room. I watched him leave, and my heart skipped a beat. This man was too good to me. I really hoped it wasn't a dream, but if it was, I didn't ever want to wake up.
Bryon
After taking a shower and getting dressed in a gray suit and a black button-up shirt, I came back into the living room to see Asia wearing the dress I bought her. She looked stunning with her wavy hair pinned up and a beautiful smile completing the look. I went over and looked into her eyes.
"Simply beautiful."
She blushed, and I went to pick up my wallet from the counter.
"You don't look too bad yourself. In fact, you look handsome."
I turned around as she walked to me. "You can't give me a hint about where we're going?"
I shook my head. "Nope. You have to be patient and wait. In fact, I'm thinking about blind folding you."
"Not a chance."
"Hey, you might like that. It's kind of kinky."
"I might. That's something we can try one day."
My eyes widened as she blushed again.
"That side, you haven't seen yet," she teased.
"Hopefully I will one day, but of course, I won't rush you."
"I know you won't," she said with a smile and picked up her clutch.
I grabbed my bag and hers then turned to her. "Ready to go?"
She nodded and started walking in front of me. Then, she stopped and turned around with a concerned look. "Does Jason know we're leaving?"
"I told him. He just said to have fun. Is there anyone you want to tell?"
"No."
She opened the door and waited for me to close and lock it. I was getting kind of nervous about how this evening would go. I hoped Asia enjoyed it, because it was all for her.
***
After driving for an hour, I was getting tired. I glanced at Asia, who was fast asleep. I thought about going to the hotel and getting some sleep, but we were going to have this evening, whether we were tired or not. I had to do a lot of begging to get my friend to close his restaurant for the evening and pay him for a full night. That was a lot of money to shell out, but it was worth it for A. I wanted to give her a great evening so she could get her mind off of everything that had happened recently.
When I stopped the car, Asia opened her eyes and looked around. She looked at me with a raised eyebrow.
"We have to check in, A."
She nodded and got her things.
"I got a double room, in case you're wondering."
"I wouldn't have had a problem with one room."
"I know, but it was the right thing to do."
We both got out of the car and went inside. After we received our keys, we headed to our rooms. Since it was a double, there was a connecting door, revealing both of our spaces. There were about the same: big, spacious, and nice. I went over to the king size bed and dropped my bag on it. I looked around the room.
"This is nice."
"It really is. I feel like I'm in college, though with the double room
s. I shared a suite with Isha and another one of our friends, Sia. It was pretty fun."
"I have to hear your college stories one day. I'm sure you were nothing like you are now."
She smiled. "You'll be surprised."
"I'm sure."
"Let me go freshen up before we leave," she said.
"Yeah, because you were drooling a little bit when you were sleeping."
"No, I wasn't."
I laughed. "Drooling and snoring."
She playfully hit me, and I laughed harder. "Drooling is one thing, but I do not snore."
"So you admit you drool."
"If I'm in a good sleep, then yes."
"That's good to know; I can hide my pillows."
She went to the couch and threw a pillow at me. I caught it and chuckled. She smiled, and I watched her walk into her room. Her and that damn walk of hers. I did think about us making love, especially recently. That's why I decided to get a double room, because I didn't know if I could be in the same bed with her again. All last night, I thought about being with her, kissing and touching her. Even though our cuddling was nice, I needed to be inside of her, her legs wrapped around me as she gave one of her sexy looks. But I would respect her feelings and be patient.
A few minutes later, she came back, wearing a beautiful smile.
"Let's go before my friend wonders where we are," I said.
I held my arm out, she looped hers through it, and we went out of the door. This would definitely be an interesting evening.
Asia
After leaving the hotel and driving for about 30 minutes, Bryon stopped the car at our destination. I looked around, checking out the beautiful night and watching the water crash against the boulders on the beach. I glanced at him, and he smiled.
"I didn't tell you the place we were going was near the beach."
"I kind of figured it was since we're near Galveston."
"True. Anyway, let's start our date."
"I didn't really think this was a date."
"Well, it can be whatever you want it to be."
"I didn't rule it out as a date, though."
Bryon got out of the car then ran over to my side and opened the door for me, making me smile. We walked to the restaurant hand-in-hand. As soon as we walked in, an older guy with salt-and-pepper hair and dark brown skin came over and greeted Bryon.
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