“I’m sure it gets annoying playing the part of a beard. Hopefully, you’ll meet your true soul mate one day soon.”
“I honestly don’t mind being your beard.”
“Good! A big part of your beard-duty is to make sure I never have to eat alone.”
“Here we go again,” Jayla said with a sigh. “Maybe you need to see a therapist to help you adjust to the outside world.”
“I’ll get it together, eventually. In the meanwhile, I know you don’t have much of an appetite, but can’t you sip a little soup or something, so that I don’t feel as if all eyes are on me?”
“Oh, God. All right! I’ll make a sacrifice and eat this gruel just for you,” Jayla said.
“Gruel? There must be something wrong with your taste buds. From what I remember, the food here is banging.”
“My taste buds are fine, but with my stomach shrinking and all, I’ve had to be a lot more selective about what I put in my mouth.”
“Hmm, you didn’t seem selective about what went in your mouth when ol’ boy from Tinder slid through the other night.”
“Is that shade?” she asked, laughing.
“No shade. I’m just saying…”
“Were you eavesdropping on us?”
“No! But y’all were loud as fuck. I heard ol’ boy saying, ‘Suck it, baby. Yeah, that’s right, take it all the way to the back of your throat.’ He was talking so much shit about your head game, I was tempted to burst through the door and get in on the action. Of course, I would have accidentally stuck my dick in his mouth instead of yours,” Derek said with a sly grin.
Jayla laughed. Although she accepted Derek’s homosexuality, a part of her couldn’t help thinking that he was a big hunk of male gorgeousness that was completely going to waste by playing for the other team.
Still, the best part of their arrangement was the fact that she had gained a dear friend. On the strength of friendship, she had confided her deepest and darkest secrets to him—secrets she had never even told Bailee—and Derek had listened compassionately and without judgment.
After he helped her get through her recovery, she convinced him to leave the strict rule of her mother’s Christian home and move in with her, where he’d be more relaxed.
Growing weary of sitting up in church with Lorraine every Sunday, Derek didn’t require a lot of convincing to move in with Jayla.
To throw Derek off and keep him from discovering her true feelings for him, Jayla had increased her Internet dating.
It seemed like a cruel, cosmic joke for her to have gone to such an extreme to lose weight only to end up falling for a man who could never be hers.
Despite her remarkable weight loss journey and amazing transformation, she still didn’t feel like she was good enough, and her continued promiscuous behavior with jerks she’d met online was proof that she was a long way from being emotionally healed.
“I’ll be glad when I stop feeling self-conscious in restaurants. When the time comes when I feel I’m ready to start dating, I’m going to have to have my act together,” Derek confided.
“Are you interested in anyone in particular?” she asked, injecting false cheerfulness into her tone.
“No one at the moment. But I’m sure the perfect person will come my way, eventually,” he said wistfully. “Anyway, if you weren’t here with me, I probably would have entered the place and then walked straight into the dining area and took a seat without waiting my turn.”
Jayla laughed. “Stop playing. You would not have done that.”
“I’m not kidding. I wouldn’t have known any better. I don’t remember all the social etiquette rules. I’m always worried that I’m going to embarrass myself out in public, and that’s why I’m so grateful for you,” he confessed with a look of vulnerability that Jayla found endearing.
The buzzer went off and Derek and Jayla followed the hostess into the dining area.
Before sitting down, Derek warily eyed the tabletop tablet like it was an ancient enemy. “When did they start this shit? Damn, you’re gonna have to place my order for me.”
“You better get used to the e-order trend,” Jayla said as she took a seat. “Little toddlers and preschoolers know how to operate these Ziosk tablets, so if you want to eat, you’re gonna learn today.”
Reluctantly, he studied the screen and within minutes, he was tapping on a number of colorful images of fancy drinks, bread, and appetizers.
“You need to chill with the appetizers! You’re not going to have any room for your entrée,” Jayla cautioned. “Besides, gluttony is a sin.”
“You should know,” he fired back. “Not too long ago, you could eat me under the table. I watched you gorge on anything that wasn’t nailed down, and I never criticized you.”
“That’s true,” she admitted. “It seems like such a long time ago. I don’t know who that greedy bitch was,” she said, laughing. “It seems inconceivable for me to ever stuff my face the way I used to. Now, I only eat to satisfy my hunger, and I’m rarely hungry…thank God!”
The breadsticks arrived and Derek began munching on them. “Mmm, these taste better than I remember.” He looked up and suddenly flashed a smile as he fluttered his fingers at someone seated at another table.
“Who are you waving at?” Jayla asked.
“A cute little girl. She’s sitting with her brother and her parents. They look like the perfect family,” he said wistfully.
Jayla leaned forward and whispered sternly. “You can’t be waving at random kids, Derek. Do you want people to think you’re a pedophile?”
Offended, he turned up his nose. “Why would anyone think that?”
“A grown man fluttering his fingers at a random child is not cool. If you don’t want that child’s parents calling the cops, you need to stop being all Joe familiar.”
“The child waved at me first. I was only being polite,” Derek said huffily.
“Rule number one to being properly socialized: do not be overly friendly with children you don’t even know.”
“Damn, since when can’t you be friendly anymore? As Ms. Lorraine would say, ‘This world is quickly going to hell in a handbasket.’ ”
“It’s true—the world is in a sad state, but when you think about it, it’s a good thing that people are more aware of the behavior of child molesters.”
“I resent being called a child molester,” he whispered angrily.
“I’m not referring to you, specifically. I’m talking about child molesters in general…and all the other predators out here that falsely represent themselves,” she explained.
A shadow fell over her face as she thought about her ordeal with the online predator named Niles.
Oblivious to Jayla’s sudden, gloomy mood, Derek promptly moved his water glass and the breadstick basket over to the side when the server arrived with plates of steaming food.
He sliced his chicken parmesan and speared a piece. “Mmm, this food is banging,” he said. “I don’t understand why you don’t like it.” His face suddenly brightened with a wide smile as he looked adoringly at the children seated at the table directly across from theirs.
“What the hell did I just tell you?” Jayla exploded. “You’re gonna get us kicked out of here, acting like a pervert.”
“The little boy smiled at me and I smiled back. Since when is friendliness acting like a pervert? Kids know a good person when they see one.”
“All right, but if the father pops off and comes over here, ready to throw hands, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Derek narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the family. “The father looks way too dignified to get rowdy up in here. In fact, if he wasn’t married, I’d be all over his fine ass.” Derek’s tongue darted out, subtly moistening his lips seductively.
“Are you flirting with the father? You know what…you really don’t know how to act in public. Get up, Derek!”
He frowned and leaned back resentfully. “Get up for what?”
“We’re s
witching seats, so that the kids won’t keep smiling at you. Plus, I want to make sure you don’t try to sneakily push up on their father.”
“I’m comfortable and don’t feel like moving,” he protested. “Nor do I feel like jostling all these plates and platters all around.”
“You don’t have to move anything. Everything on the table is yours. The only thing that has to move is my bowl of soup, and since I don’t even want it, it can stay where it’s at.” Jayla stood up.
Derek responded with a sigh that was sharp and impatient, and then reluctantly followed suit. After Derek and Jayla switched seats, she glanced at the family that was seated opposite them and her eyes grew wide with surprise.
“What?” Derek swiveled around to see what Jayla was looking at.
“Don’t stare,” Jayla whispered harshly.
Derek hastily turned and faced Jayla. “Do you know those people?”
Clearly distressed, she covered her mouth and nodded.
“Who are they?”
She removed her hand. “I don’t know the kids or the woman, but I know the man. I know him very, very well. But I don’t want him to recognize me.” She reached inside her purse and slid on a pair of sunglasses. She propped her phone up on the table against the bread basket and hit the video-record feature.
Stealthily, she situated the bread basket, so that the phone was facing the so-called “perfect” family.
* * *
Walking fast to the car, Jayla was outraged. She held up the phone for Derek to look at the video that she’d recorded. “Look at this shit. Both of those kids are calling him Daddy, and the chick refers to him as hon!”
“What’s the big deal? They’re his wife and kids?”
“No, they are not! I can’t wait for the shit to hit the fan,” she said as she uploaded the video and hit SEND.
Chapter 26
Bailee stared dreamily out the window as the Amtrak train glided along the tracks. She was headed back to Philadelphia and Hayden was on a flight to Miami. He had to meet with his team to prepare for the HaydenWear launch party that was scheduled for next week.
The photo shoot in New York had gone much smoother than Bailee could have imagined. The photographer, Antonio, made her feel completely at ease, constantly reassuring her and telling her the camera loved her. She’d been in New York with Hayden for three magical days and three lustful nights, and she hadn’t told anyone of her whereabouts.
Actually, no one except Jayla had noticed or cared that she was incommunicado.
There’d been a number of texts and missed calls from Jayla, but Bailee hadn’t responded. Jayla wasn’t the type of person she could blow off with a quick summary of her passionate love affair or the new profession she’d stumbled into. She laughed to herself as she imagined Jayla’s shocked reaction when she learned that Bailee was the face of HaydenWear.
Jayla would want a detailed report and Bailee simply didn’t have the time to devote to a long, drawn-out conversation with her. At the moment, all she wanted to do was reminisce about the tender moments she and Hayden had shared. She’d talk to Jayla at length when she got back to Philly. And she’d make up for neglecting her by inviting her to the HaydenWear launch party.
Jayla would love the opportunity to show off her slimmed-down body at a glamorous Miami-based event, but Bailee couldn’t help worrying that Jayla might possibly drink too much and decide to give a blowjob to the bartender, or the DJ, or a server, or one of the cleaning crew.
Feeling an instant twinge of guilt, she chastised herself for having such a low opinion of her friend. Jayla wouldn’t do anything like that. Jayla had denied the disgusting rumors, and obviously Trent had lied on her. End of story.
She smiled as she glanced down at her carry-on bag that rested on the empty seat next to her. She had originally packed light, but now the bag was bulging at the sides, filled with all twenty-two pieces of Hayden’s line. He wanted her to get familiar with his apparel and had insisted that she take the entire collection.
Although they’d only been apart for approximately ninety minutes, she already missed him. Her lids fluttered closed as memories of this morning drifted through her mind. Hayden’s hard-muscled body snuggled close, and the heat of his growing erection warming her flesh and tantalizing her until her hips involuntarily began a slow, sensual swivel that soon escalated to a swifter more urgent pace.
It was going to be difficult getting through the upcoming week without waking up to the sensation of his hard body pressed against hers. He’d invited her to join him in Miami, but she declined, not wanting to wear out her welcome.
But now, a sense of yearning that was so intense it was palpable, had begun to engulf her, and she regretted not accepting his invitation.
Needing a distraction, she fished her phone out of her purse and checked her messages. There was a text from Claudia Kolinski, her former boss’s executive assistant who had been summoned to escort Bailee out of the conference room on the day of her meltdown.
Claudia was the last person Bailee wanted to hear from, and she scoffed when she read the woman’s message, inviting Bailee to lunch so they could catch up. Bailee interpreted, “catch up” as a polite way of asking, “Have you recovered from your meltdown? Have you found new employment? And what exactly caused such a dignified person as you to turn into an unhinged lunatic?”
She deleted Claudia’s text and then blocked her, ensuring that she never heard from the nosey bitch again.
There were over a dozen texts from Jayla and most included selfies of her wearing skintight dresses and jeans. Jayla was so infatuated with her new body, she’d brazenly stripped down and posed in a two-piece swimsuit.
Jayla’s weight loss was incredible and she looked amazing in her clothes, but with her flabby thighs and the way her gut was hanging, she truly wasn’t swimsuit ready. She needed to hit the gym and tone up before strutting around half-naked.
Instantly regretting her catty thoughts about Jayla, Bailee reminded herself of Gentle Breeze’s slogan, “Love the skin you’re in.”
She reviewed her e-mails and let out a sigh when she came upon correspondence from her divorce attorney. Trent had been slowing the divorce down by trying to make Bailee liable for his credit card debt and car loan balance. Being a lawyer, Trent knew all the loopholes, and he and his attorney cleverly pointed out that marital debt had not been included in the prenup, and they wanted Bailee to pay up.
She sighed as she moved the distressing e-mail to the saved file to view later.
There was an email from Jayla with a video attachment. She opened it and tapped on the video. Since Jayla loved ratchet videos from WorldStarHipHop.Com, Bailee was expecting to see a neighborhood brawl or a side chick getting beat down or savagely choked out by an irate baby mom, but instead there was a video of two kids and their parents eating at a restaurant.
At first, she didn’t understand what she was looking at. It was as if her eyes were playing tricks on her. Confused, she started the video at the beginning and squinted at the two young children and their parents. The mother was a stranger to Bailee, but the man that the kids referred to as “Daddy,” was none other than Bailee’s husband, Trent.
* * *
When the train pulled into Thirtieth Street Station, Bailee texted Jayla to find out her whereabouts. Jayla said she was showing a house on Federal Street and sent the address.
After retrieving her car from the garage, she drove to the Point Breeze section of South Philadelphia. While waiting for Jayla’s prospective buyer to leave, she sat in the car, repeatedly watching the video of Trent and his secret family. Each time the video concluded, her trembling middle finger would tap the screen, playing it again.
The pain from each viewing was like taking a bullet to the heart.
Although she could never get over the betrayal of Trent and Giselle’s relationship, she’d been on the path to healing. Unfortunately, the discovery that Trent had been leading a double life throughout the course
of their marriage had opened up a fresh and bleeding wound that cut deep into her soul.
Were the two kids really Trent’s? How was that possible? When did he have time to build a family?
Squinting, she stared at the screen, inspecting the children’s faces. Her heart fluttered as she looked closely at the little girl’s face and detected eyes that were exactly like Trent’s. The boy was a dead ringer for Trent. He had his exact pecan-tan complexion, the shape of his nose, and his unmistakable smile.
Bailee examined the children’s mother, wondering if they’d met before. The woman didn’t look even vaguely familiar. Was she someone from Trent’s office? A client, maybe? Who was this woman who had given birth to two children by a married man?
The moment Bailee noticed Jayla’s client leaving, she bolted from the car and raced up the stairs of the charming blue and white home with built-in flower boxes outside the windows.
“Jayla!” she called as she opened the entry door that led to a sun-filled living room that had gleaming hardwood floors and trendy, exposed-brick walls.
“Hi,” Jayla said, emerging from the kitchen and beckoning Bailee.
The kitchen was ultra-modern, featuring a granite breakfast bar, and sleek, stainless steel appliances.
“I was fixing coffee. Do you want some?” Jayla asked.
“No thanks.” Bailee took a seat on a stylish, lime-green leather stool in front of the breakfast bar.
“Water, juice, or tea?” Jayla offered as she poured black coffee into a mug.
“Nothing, I’m good,” Bailee said impatiently. “I want to know everything you know about Trent’s double life. I want to know why you never told me and why you finally decided to send me the evidence.”
Jayla placed a hand on Bailee’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze before sitting on the leather stool next to her. “First of all, I would have never kept a secret like that from you. I didn’t know Trent was leading a double life.”
“When did you find out?”
“Derek and I were at Olive Garden recently, and there were two kids at the opposite table who kept smiling and waving at him, and he kept smiling and waving back. Derek’s naïve in a lot of ways, and he doesn’t realize that it’s not cool to be overly friendly with other people’s kids. Anyway, I suggested we switch seats. When I took his seat, I glanced over at the table and saw Trent sitting there. Hearing him being called Daddy by the kids was a shock to my system.”
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