by Carl Weber
“Where in the hell did you get that from?”
Patrice followed the direction of his eyes, pulling her hands back casually as she said, “Oh, this? I bought it for myself. Sometimes you just have to do something nice for yourself, you know?”
Kasen wasn’t satisfied with her answer. His subconscious mind was screaming at him to keep pushing. “What store did you buy it from?”
Patrice started wringing her hands and gave a nervous laugh. “I forgot. Why?”
Kasen moved quickly around the desk, and before she could react, he had grabbed Patrice’s hands.
“Doctor Phillips, what are you doing?” she protested.
Kasen didn’t answer. He flipped the bracelet over to reveal the engraving on the other side. It was a tiny heart, along with a date—the date he had given the bracelet to Raine. He had asked the jewelry designer to engrave it on the one-of-a-kind bracelet so that Raine would always have a reminder of the first time he said the words “I love you” to her.
He tightened his grip on Patrice’s arms as she struggled to break free.
“Where in the hell did you get it from? Do you know Raine? Is she the one who gave it to you? Tell me now!” he said through gritted teeth.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Patrice shouted. “I told you I bought it for myself!”
“No you didn’t. I had it special made, and now you’re going to tell me how you got it before I—”
Patrice stopped struggling and slumped down into the chair. “Fine. I get it. You’re a big, tough man and you’re going to hurt me. Some healer you are,” she said, insulting Kasen’s professionalism in a way that caused him to snap out of his rage and let her arms go. He still hovered over her, though, not allowing her to stand up and leave.
With his chest heaving and his heart pounding, he begged Patrice for more information. “Look, I’m sorry about what just happened, but that bracelet belonged to someone very special to me. Someone who disappeared from my life without a trace. I shouldn’t have put my hands on you, but I need to know where she is. Please tell me whatever it is you know.” Kasen couldn’t make sense of the whole situation, but he had no doubt that Patrice knew much more than she was letting on.
Patrice sat still, with her mouth clamped shut.
“Please,” he asked again. “I loved her with all my heart.”
This seemed to surprise her. She looked up into Kasen’s eyes, and he could have sworn she was about to cry. “I’ve never had a man love me like that. I want that kind of love.”
“I know you do,” Kasen answered, speaking calmly because he felt like he was close to getting her to open up with the truth if he could just avoid scaring her away. “I’m sure you can find the right man, and I will help you do that. You can come for as many sessions as you want. Every day of the week, if need be. But first I need you to tell me what you know about Raine.”
Patrice looked at him silently for so long that Kasen was scared she was not going to speak again. Finally, she started explaining.
“She was with a dark-skinned brotha at a gas station,” Patrice said. “He smiled at me, so you know me with my sex addiction, I approached him. I didn’t know he had a woman in the car until I gave him my phone number. That’s when she jumped out.”
Kasen frowned, wondering who was the man she was with. Was that who she had run away with?
“Raine tried to step to me, yelling about, ‘stay away from my man!’ She’s a little crazy, you know. But I’m no wallflower myself, so when she reached out to slap me, I grabbed that bitch and started swinging.”
As he listened to her story, he was having a hard time imagining Raine reacting with such violence. The Raine he knew was way too classy to get into it in a gas station parking lot like that.
“Anyway,” Patrice continued, “her dude grabbed her up pretty quick, threw her back in the car, and they were out. When I looked down, I saw the bracelet on the ground. I took it and I kept it. That’s it. End of story. You happy now?” she said, sounding sassy now.
Kasen may have been a fool at times, but he wasn’t a damn fool. “Bullshit!” he yelled in her face. “Stop lying and tell me where you got the damn bracelet from! You came to my office for a reason. Tell me what the hell is going on!”
Patrice leaned back to put a few inches between them. “I just told you,” she said nervously.
“Uh-uh.” Kasen shook his head. “It’s bullshit and you know it. At what point during that fight did she stop and tell you her name?”
“What? Now I think you might be crazy, Doc.”
“You had a fight at a gas station with a random woman and somehow you know her name is Raine, and somehow you happen to show up in my office right around the time Raine disappears? Ain’t that much coincidence in the world.”
Suddenly, Patrice was out of her chair, taking a totally different approach to this situation. Now she wasn’t cowering and afraid of Kasen. Before Kasen even knew what was happening, she had popped her breasts out of the top of her tight shirt and pressed herself up against his body. She hiked up her skirt and yanked her panties to the side. Her behavior was so sudden and so bizarre that it took Kasen a minute to respond.
“Patrice—” he started, reaching around her back to try to pull her skirt back down. She wiggled just the right way so that instead of grabbing the hem of her skirt, he grabbed her ass cheeks.
“Mmm, that’s it,” she moaned.
“Oh my God!” Voncile’s voice suddenly came from the doorway.
Kasen froze when he heard her. His head was spinning. How could Voncile show up right now, of all times? Deep down he knew that all of these strange coincidences were somehow related, but he couldn’t wrap his mind around what that connection was.
In spite of Voncile’s presence, Patrice kept doing her thing, grinding on him and grabbing his hand to put it on her breasts. “Squeeze my titties,” she commanded.
“What the hell is going on here?” Voncile shouted as she rushed into the room, shoving Patrice out of the way.
For someone who claimed she was no wallflower, Patrice sure backed away from Voncile in a hurry. She looked scared as she put her clothes back in place to cover herself up. Without another word, she jetted out of the room.
“How could you do this to me, Kasen?” Voncile said, standing in front of him sobbing. “I’m pregnant with your child and this is how you treat me? Really?”
Kasen was so overwhelmed by all of this that he couldn’t even speak. He felt like he was in some crazy alternate universe.
“So now you’re fucking your patients, huh, Kasen?” Voncile said with a twitching eye. “I thought you said you needed to be alone for a while.”
Kasen dropped down into the chair with so much on his mind: Raine, Omar, Voncile, the bracelet, and now this situation with Patrice and the bracelet. He didn’t have enough energy to explain to Voncile about what she had just walked in on. There was no question that he had made some really bad mistakes lately, but he just didn’t understand: Why was this happening to him? He felt cursed.
“I don’t want to talk about this right now. Please leave, Voncile. I will contact you later.”
“No! I want some answers now!” she screamed at full volume. “How long have you been fucking her? Don’t sit there being a coward! Why don’t you get it all out in the open? Is she the only patient you’ve been screwing around with, or are there more?”
Voncile’s shrill voice gave Kasen a severe headache. There seemed to be no end to her madness, so he shot up from the chair and grabbed his jacket, brushing past Voncile as he exited the office. She followed behind him, ranting and raving.
“Where is the got-damn respect for the mother of your unborn child? I deserve to have some answers, Kasen!”
He headed to the stairs, and she stayed on his heels, refusing to give up. “Kasen, do you hear me talking to you? Why are you ignoring me? What in God’s name did I do to you to deserve this?”
Kasen got in his ca
r, slamming the door behind him. Through the windshield, he could see Voncile’s tear-stained face. She looked like a madwoman with her hair all over the place, snot running from her nose, and mascara smudged under her eyes. Too caught up in his own pain, he didn’t feel an ounce of sympathy for her. He revved the engine then sped off, swerving to avoid hitting her as she lunged toward the car. As he exited the parking lot, he let out a roar to release some of his pent-up rage.
Chapter 21
Patrice raced home in a rage. She had actually been enjoying the game she was playing, pretending to be a sex addict for Kasen, until he saw the bracelet on her wrist. Then he flipped so completely that for a minute she feared for her safety.
He had recognized the bracelet right away, and although Patrice was a good liar, there was no denying it once he flipped it over and saw the engraving. For a minute she thought that she’d be able to calm him down once she hiked up her skirt. No man had ever been able to resist her pussy before. She had actually been a little turned on herself, considering Kasen was so fucking hot. Patrice thought she was going to kill two birds with one stone—calm him down and also get some real good dick—until Voncile busted into the room.
That was another thing she had to worry about now. The look in Voncile’s eyes told her there was going to be some major fallout. When it came to Kasen, Voncile was crazy jealous, and she had made it explicitly clear that Kasen was off limits. Patrice was supposed to distract Kasen with her little sex addict act, but when it came to actual physical contact, Patrice was to keep her hands to herself. Now she had crossed that boundary, and there would be hell to pay the next time she saw Voncile.
She pounded the steering wheel in frustration. This was all Raine’s fault. She had probably known all along that Kasen would recognize the bracelet; that was why she insisted that Patrice should wear it. That bitch had set her up, and now Patrice was going to make sure she paid the price for it.
* * *
Raine was asleep in the bed, dreaming that she was safe in her own home, when Patrice rushed into the room and snatched the covers off of her.
“Get up!” Patrice yelled, shaking the bed violently. “Why did you do it, bitch?”
“What do you mean?” she asked. “What did I do?”
“That stupid bracelet. Kasen saw it and almost broke my arm trying to get it off. You knew he would do something like that.”
Raine looked at her with wide, frightened eyes. She had just started to develop a bond with Patrice, and this could ruin everything. She shook her head vigorously. “No, I didn’t. I wouldn’t do that to you, Patrice.”
“I should beat your ass for putting me in a predicament like that.”
Raine’s hands flew protectively to her belly. “Please don’t. My baby—”
Patrice shoved Raine’s shoulder hard, and Raine scooted back on the bed to try to put some distance between them.
“You should have thought of your baby before you started playing games!” Patrice yelled at her. “Now I’m gonna teach you a lesson. You had it so good over here with me, but now you ain’t getting no food until I feel good and damn ready to feed you again. And who knows? It might be a week before I feel like it.”
“Patrice, I swear I didn’t set you up. Think about it. How could I have known that the bracelet would cause you any trouble? You never told me you were going to see Kasen. Remember? You just said you were going to an appointment-slash-date.”
That caused Patrice to stop ranting for a minute. She had a puzzled look on her face, like she was thinking through what Raine had just said. Raine could tell she had struck a nerve, and there was still hope that she could talk her way out of this. That hope was smashed when Voncile came rushing into the house and ran up the stairs.
“Patrice!” she screamed, swooping into the room. “What the fuck did I tell you about Kasen? He is mine, mine, mine! And then I walk in and find you grinding your pussy all over him and his hands all over your ass? Bitch, you know that was against the rules.”
Raine tried to wrap her head around what she was hearing. Not only had Kasen slept with Voncile, but now he was having sex with Patrice too. What had happened to the man she loved?
“No, it’s not what you think,” Patrice protested. “I was just trying to distract him, and words alone weren’t doing it. I hate to break it to you, Voncile, but that guy is still hung up on Raine. You should have seen the way he flipped out over seeing her bracelet on my wrist.”
Voncile narrowed her eyes as she looked down at Patrice’s wrist. “You wore her bracelet to Kasen’s office? What the fuck were you thinking?” she yelled. “I always knew you weren’t too bright, but I had no idea you were straight up stupid.”
“Don’t call me stupid,” Patrice hissed at her. “Last person who did that got her ass beat good.”
Voncile rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. Your ass didn’t even finish tenth grade and now you want me to tell you you’re a fuckin’ genius or something?” She laughed in Patrice’s face. “You know what? You can forget about the rest of the money I owe you. You couldn’t follow the rules of the job, so there’s no reason for me to pay your stupid ass.”
Patrice lunged at her. “I told you not to call me stupid!”
Raine watched as Patrice’s body made impact against Voncile’s and they crashed to the ground. They rolled around on the floor, pulling hair, scratching and clawing at each other’s eyes, tearing clothes, and basically trying to cripple each other. Voncile finally got the upper hand, and she sat on top of Patrice’s chest, panting and sweating as she looked down at her.
“Don’t you ever try me like that again,” she said through gritted teeth. “’Cause I swear the next time I won’t let you live.” She raised her fist high above her head, crashing it down on Patrice’s face. Patrice was knocked out cold.
“That was for trying to fuck my man, you stupid ho.” With that, Voncile pulled herself up from the floor and stumbled out of the room. Raine didn’t dare move until she heard the front door open and then close.
“Patrice,” she called out quietly, “are you okay?”
Patrice regained consciousness and groaned in pain as she rolled over and then stood up. She walked, hunched over, to the bed and plopped down on the edge.
Raine kept her distance, but she wasn’t really scared. Patrice was much too weak to hurt her now. Even so, she still didn’t want to be on her bad side.
“I’m really sorry that just happened to you,” she said. “I don’t know what happened in Kasen’s office today, but Voncile had no right to go off on you like that. She is not your friend, and I hope you understand that by now.”
Patrice turned her bruised and bloodied face to look at Raine. “Oh, you don’t have to worry about her. I got something for her ass that’ll turn her world upside down.”
“What are you going to do?” Raine asked, hoping Patrice didn’t think she was being too bold.
“I don’t know, but that bitch is gonna be sorry she ever put her hands on me.”
Chapter 22
Kasen put the key in the door, entering the house where he grew up.
“Ma!” he called out. “You in here? It’s me, your handsome son!”
A moment later, his mother came down the stairs, her hair in pink rollers and a smile on her face. “Why are you down here yelling?” she said lightheartedly.
“Aw, Ma, you’re not happy to see me?” he joked.
She laughed and opened her arms wide, giving him a tight squeeze. “You know I’m always happy to see you, baby.”
He gave her a kiss on the top of her head, then turned to head into the kitchen. “I’m going to get a beer. You want one?” he asked.
“No, thanks,” she said as she entered the kitchen behind him.
“Where’s Pop?” Kasen asked.
She rolled her eyes. “Chile, who knows? Probably on vacation somewhere with one of his hoes. I haven’t spoken to him in a few days. All I can do is pray for him and hope that he’s okay.”
Kasen’s parents were still married, but their union was anything but healthy. Lately, they’d been talking about going their separate ways, mostly because his mother was finally tired of her husband’s cheating, which had been going on for years. Kasen didn’t agree with his father’s behavior, but he loved both of them, so he tried to stay out of it as best he could. He had, however, requested that the two of them agree to go to counseling to see if their marriage was worth saving. His parents were stubborn, though, and neither one of them had made an appointment yet. They might have been proud that their son was a therapist, but that didn’t mean they believed in therapy for themselves.
“I’m sorry to hear that, Ma,” he said as he took a seat at the kitchen table and cracked open his beer.
She waved away his concern. “Don’t you worry about us,” she told him. “Now tell me what’s going on with you. Something is wrong. I can see it all over your face.”
Kasen had always had a tight bond with his mother, so he wasn’t surprised that she sensed his mood right away. They might not talk every day like some mothers and sons, but sometimes she could read him so well it felt like she was inside his head.
“There’s a lot going on, Ma.”
“I know there is. You got lines in your forehead I ain’t never seen before. Now why don’t you tell me what’s wrong?”
Kasen took a long swig of beer and then launched into his story, starting from the day he proposed to Raine and ending with the scene in his office yesterday with Patrice and Voncile.
“Son, you weren’t kidding when you said there’s a lot going on. Something definitely ain’t right, starting with this Voncile woman. Whatever you do, you make sure you get a paternity test the second she pushes out that baby. I never did trust that heifer from the first time I met her in your office. She always gave me the heebie-jeebies.”
Kasen was surprised. “You never told me that. Most of my patients really like her.”
“Well, I ain’t most of your patients,” she replied. “I got a sixth sense around certain people, and she just always rubbed me the wrong way. Same way your friend Omar does.”