Chapter 13
Felicia
I swiveled my chair around to face the window in my office. The view it offered of downtown Atlanta should have been on a postcard.
It had been a long week, and I was looking forward to some downtime. I had my hair done last night, that took one more item off my to-do list for tomorrow. The problem was there was nothing else pressing on that list that gave me a reason to get up from my chair. Boredom and monotony were by products of being single. Unless you had a big black book or brothers knocking on your door, you were stuck in a rut of hanging out with the girls or by herself.
I didn’t have a problem with hanging with the girls, but every now and then a little dick was necessary. I wanted to be around men. That was the bottom line. I wanted to smell them, watch their muscles bulge, and admire a bunch of tight asses. Convinced I needed some excitement, I buzzed Talisa to see what her plans were for the evening.
“Yes, Felicia,” she said as soon as she picked up the phone.
“Can you come in here for a minute?”
“Sure, let me grab my pad.”
“You won’t need it.”
Hesitantly, she eased into my office. I understood her reluctance since I’d kept our relationship strictly professional and she had done the same. Because I wanted her at ease, I invited her to take a seat.
“Shall I close the door or leave it open?”
“You can close it.”
She paused before she pushed it shut. She crossed the room and took a seat in one of the chairs in front of my desk. I chuckled because she hadn’t taken a seat in my office since the day I hired her. I smiled at her; she relaxed somewhat.
“It’s been a long week, and I think we should cut out of here early.” I prayed that she wouldn’t reject my invitation.
“Huh?” She acted like she didn’t understand what I was saying.
“I said we should cut out of this joint. You’ve worked hard this week, and I really appreciate the job that you’ve done.”
“Uh … thanks.” She had a look on her face like she was being setup for some type of candid camera.
“No, thank you. Do you have any plans for the weekend?”
“Not really, just hitting the books.”
“You work too hard. You need to let your hair down.”
“If you don’t mind my saying so, you need to do the same.”
“I know that’s right. That’s part of the reason I called you in here. What do you say that we hit that new spot that opened last week called Seasons? We could get something; to eat and if all goes well, stay for a little dancing afterwards.”
She didn’t answer me right away. For a moment, I began to feel as if I was out of bounds.
She looked down at her suit as a small smile curved her lips. “If you’re talking about shaking ass, I ain’t going like this!” She motioned to her outfit.
“That’s what I’m talking about. If we leave now, we can go home, change, and be there in time for half off drinks at happy hour at seven.”
She jumped out of her chair, heading for the door.
“Is that a yes?”
“See you there at seven.” She closed the door behind her, but I could hear her clapping her hands beyond the door. Turning back to my desk, I gathered the work I intended to take home and placed it in my briefcase. Even though it was the weekend, I still had to prepare for a custody hearing on Monday. But I wasn’t going to think about that tonight. I turned off the computer, grabbed my suit jacket off the hook on the back of my door, and turned off the lights.
Talisa had wasted no time clearing out. Her desk was pristine neat, and her computer screen was black. She must need this night out as much as I do. I was glad that we are taking separate cars because I was feeling lucky. This way, if either of us met someone that we wanted to spend more time with, we wouldn’t feel obligated to leave together.
On the drive home, I pondered over what I was going to wear. Since we were going to happy hour, it wouldn’t look good if I put on my sexiest dress, but I was sure I could find something that wasn’t too flashy but eye catching nonetheless.
* * *
I stood in front of my closet for what had seemed like forever. After throwing numerous outfits aside for their inappropriateness, I settled on an A-line, light green and white dress that was cutoff on one shoulder. Its bodice was V-shaped, dipping low enough to expose my ample cleavage. I had some green shoes the same shade as the dress so that was easy. Finding a pair of stockings that didn’t have a run in them was a little more challenging, but I had forgotten about the ones I’d bought before Randy had moved out. They were in the guest bedroom, so it was easy to over look them. Satisfied with my selection, I ran some bathwater. Since I had sprinkled a liberal amount of salts into the water, I watched the bubbles rise.
While undressing in front of the mirror, I admire my body as I dropped each article of clothing to the floor: my blouse unleashed the rich, bronze skin that I had inherited from my grandmother and a set of breasts that sat upright like a twenty-year olds—those came from my mother—that men paid more attention to during a conversation than they did looking me in the eyes. And my pants—boy oh boy—my pants unlocked a set of strong thighs that had held Randy’s head in the right place many nights. I just don’t know what happened. He suddenly stopped French kissing me there, kissing or touching me anywhere. My bra and panties were the last items that I wore. I pretended they were a bathing suit and I was on the beach in Maui. The sea salts I had used help with my fantasy. I imagined thousand of eyes goggling my body. I slowly slid my hands down my thighs and between my legs. I pushed my longest finger inside and became instantly pissed off with Randy. He was the reason I’d been forced to finger-fuck myself, and I was sick and tired of doing it alone. I pulled my finger out and turned away from the mirror. I dropped my bra and panties onto the heap of clothes and eased into the tub.
“Umm, this is good.” There was nothing in the world like a nice, hot bath. I turned the Jacuzzi jets on high and relaxed my head against the pillow cushion. It wasn’t as nice as sex, but it did play a close second. The only way it could have been better was if I had someone in that large-ass tub with me.
The phone rang and I almost jumped up to get it but changed my mind. Whomever it was I’d either call them back, or they would call me back. I normally take the phone into the bathroom with me, but I’d forgotten about it. I just needed a half hour to unwind, then I would be good for the rest of the night.
* * *
The phone startled me. Closing my eyes was a big mistake. I rose from the tub, flinging water as I ran to get the phone. “Hello?”
“This is not a sales call. We are a tele—”
I hung up the phone. Nothing pissed me off more than a machine calling my phone regardless of the reason. Glancing at the tabletop clock, I realized I’d been asleep over forty minutes and I had less than an hour to get dressed and make it to the club. Part of me wanted to cancel and crawl into the bed for evening. Sanity returned when I though of all the other nights I had said I would go out only to wind up in the same place. Furthermore, my hunger helped to make up my mind.
I went into hyperdrive to get into my dress. I sprayed my favorite perfume into the air and walked into it. I applied my makeup then I dumped the contents of my purse on the bed and grabbed the essentials to put in my small clutch. I made my way to the door, turning lights out as I went. I took one last look around my living room then locked the door. I faintly heard the phone ringing, but I didn’t have time to answer it now. I was in the car before I had realized that I never checked the caller ID from the last call I’d received while I was taking a bath.
“I hope that isn’t Talisa canceling on me,” I said out loud. Then I thought: if she was going to cancel, she would call me on my cell phone. I hated being late with a passion, and I was not about to start doing it now, even if this was just a social gathering. It was a matter of principal with me.
* * *
<
br /> Talisa was pulling into the parking lot when I drove up.
She rolled her window down. “Girl, I was just looking for your car.”
“I know. I rushed over here like a bat out of hell. I messed around and took a long bath and the next thing I knew, I was asleep. If I hadn’t made arrangements with you, I would have turned back the covers and went to sleep.”
“I hear ya. My bed was calling my name, too.”
* * *
We were walking to the door of Seasons when I said, “You’re looking mighty fly.”
She was wearing a short, black dress, which showed off her thick legs. Talisa was the only woman that I knew who could give me a run for the money on legs. We both had perfectly shaped calves and generous thighs.
“Thank you. I would say this old thang, but I just stopped at the mall and bought it.”
“Shoot, that dress is hot. Where did you get it?” I said motioning toward her dress.
“Northlake Mall. Did the ghetto thang and changed into the dress in the dressing room and wore this sucker out. I have my things in the car. I just didn’t have time to drop the kids off at my mother’s and still have time to go home and hunt for something to wear.”
“I know that’s right. When you are looking for that one thing, the shit hides from you until you don’t want it anymore.”
“Sounds like you’ve been down that road before,” she said.
We walked in the restaurant and were shown to a table in the dinning room. The place was gorgeous. It was cozy enough to be that after-work spot and had the potential to be the romantic spot for lovers. Too bad I didn’t have one of those.
For a minute, I almost got misty eyed because Randy and I loved exploring spots such as this. We loved to be “the couple” in the know of the new spots in Atlanta. Now, however, I would have to rely on word of mouth. I would be damned if I was gonna hit all these spots solo or worse yet, with a coworker beside me. I didn’t care how well we were getting along.
Talisa was deep into the menu; I was steady checking the place out.
“Girl, we should walk around before this spot gets crowded. My friend told me that, even though it’s a new place, it gets packed pretty quick,” she said looking up.
“I’m game.” I grabbed the waitress who had seated us and told her we were going to look around before ordering.
She recommended we start with the VIP. She said when the joint started to rocking, we wouldn’t be able to get in there without parting with some hard-earned cash. That info was enough to get us out of our seats.
“This place has everything. Look, they have a place to play Xbox video games and pool tables,” Talisa said as we began to explore.
“Yeah and they have televisions everywhere you look. Can you imagine how crazy this place was Super Bowl Sunday?”
“Sounds like the place we should have been.” She nudged me.
“Not for me, I hate football.”
She flashed a devilish grin. “Girl, you’ve been married too long. I wasn’t even thinking about the game. I was thinking about the honeys that came out to see the game.”
“You’ve got a point. We won’t let another sporting event pass us by like that.”
She laughed as I gave her a high five. We continued to look around the restaurant.
* * *
“If someone had told me that this used to be Olive Garden, I would have called them a liar,” I said as we approached our table.
“I know, right? These folks spent some mad money up in this camp.”
We took our seats and began going over the menu.
“I see so much I want to try. Now I’m mad I wore this tight-ass dress.” I watched this fine brother walk by and realized I had an appetite for more than food.
“Who you telling? My shit is so tight you can see air going through my lungs.”
“Tight or not, you are rocking that dress.”
The lights started to dim.
She said, “If we don’t hurry up and order something, we won’t be able to see this menu.”
“I know that’s right. I don’t know why they had to dim the lights now. It isn’t like we’re up in here trying to be alone.”
“Yeah, they best not get that twisted.”
We laughed together again. I was enjoying my time out with Talisa. It seemed as if each of us had left our corporate personalities at the office and allowed our hair to hang loose. Talisa ordered fried catfish, and I ordered chicken cordon bleu. We also ordered some drinks to make the mood festive.
“I just hope the men pack in here like the ladies.” I noticed that the place was filling up with ladies of different sizes and shapes. “Daaamm! Did someone post a ride-a-dick-tonight-only sign and we missed it?”
She laughed.
“What?” I said, looking around for the source of her amusement.
“You’re so funny. I had no idea you would be like this.”
“Like what?” I scrunched up my face.
“Aw, you know what I mean. You’re so cool.”
“I just like to keep it real. You don’t ever have to worry about me saying one thing to your face and another behind your back. If I don’t like you’re ass, I won’t say anything at all.”
“I hear ya. I ain’t got time to be trying to be no fake bitch. First of all, my face would give me away. Secondly, if I don’t like your ass in the first place, what would be the benefit to me pretending to be your friend?”
“Exactly. I get tired of all these women all up in your face and shit knowing damn well they wish you would drop off the face of the earth.” I was glad she was able to relate.
“Oh, and don’t forget the ones that will be standing in the dark ready to push you as soon as you turn your damn back.” She rolled her eyes.
I nodded absentmindedly “Yeah, those are the heifers that you keep close to you and always standing in front of you.”
“We got two of them hoes in the office.”
“Anita Williams and Desiree McCall,” we said together.
“I call them Frick and Frack. Those bitches are trifling. If they weren’t so damn stupid, their asses would be funny,” I said.
“I’ll admit it, I tried to be friends with Desiree when she first started working at the firm, but she’s got her head so far up Anita’s ass, I don’t know where she stops and Anita begins. She’s thrown me up under the bus a couple of times. Now I just serve her with a long-handle spoon.”
“I know what you mean, Talisa. When I first started with the firm, Anita was already working there. In fact, she started out training me.”
“To do what?” She raised her brow as if Anita wasn’t intelligent enough to teach anyone anything.
“Exactly. She was working in the secretarial pool when I started. I was in my last year of law school, so I took the first gig I could get. She was cool until I started rising out of the pool. When I passed the Bar, the bitch sort of lost her mind.”
“Damn. That explains the backbiting a little.” She nibbled on her catfish.
“Not really. I never tried to treat her any differently. In fact, she was almost my secretary until she started doing little devious shit.” My chicken cordon bleu was slamming. I couldn’t eat it fast enough because of all the talking we were doing.
“This sounds like it’s going to be good.” She smothered her fish with hot sauce.
“Trust me, that heifer can lie her ass off. She didn’t know my background. So when I passed the Bar, she about peed in her pants. I was the firm’s token nigga, and she wanted to treat me like I was her slave.”
The waiter interrupted our conversation when he offered to refill our drinks.
“Damn, I would’ve liked to have been a fly on the wall when she found that shit out.”
“Oh, it was a classic.” I paused and took a healthy swig out of my glass. “She used to holla for me up and down the hall. That shit grated on my nerves. She knew she had me by the throat, and I wasn’t going to say anything that would cau
se me to lose my job.”
“You’re better than me because her ass would have got told.”
“It wasn’t easy, let me tell you. It was all a challenge not to haul off and bitch slap her. She dictated my every move. When she went on break, I went on break. For six months I ate lunch with that heifer. I was trying to pass my probation period, but on the last day, I switched my lunch and went by myself.”
“I’ll bet that pissed her off.” She grinned.
“Not as much as the announcement that I’d passed the Bar and would be joining the firm as an associate.” I started to feel the alcohol.
“So how did she become an associate?”
“That’s a good question. I’ve yet to see her college transcripts. I wouldn’t put it passed her lying ass to have concocted some shit. You know as good as I do, white folks will lie for each other.”
“Ain’t that the truth!”
“Hey, we came out to have fun … let’s not talk about them witches anymore.”
“I’ll drink to that. But one day soon I want to finish this conversation.”
“I don’t have a problem with that.” I looked around the room and licked my lips.
CHAPTER 14
Randy
I walked back from the bathroom disappointed that Felicia hadn’t answered the phone. I didn’t want to believe that she was still avoiding me. Honestly, I had assumed we’d gotten past that. But each time I tried to call and she didn’t answer, the less sure I was. I didn’t expect us go back to being friends like we were before we married, but I had hopes we would at least stay in each others lives. Thirteen years was a long time to be with someone.
Of course I had only myself to blame for what had happened in our marriage. I was jealous of Felicia. She had it so together at a time when my life was so confused. Ever since we were children, she knew what she wanted to be and she never wavered. She didn’t stress out about attending school and holding down a job. She made me feel inadequate. I didn’t want to be an accountant, but I had to pick something. Numbers bored the shit out of me. I could have gotten a degree in a lot less time than Felicia, so accounting was perfect.
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