by Pat Tucker
Bill’s Hummer screeched to a stop in the circular driveway as he pulled up in front of the house.
“Look, I just made it here, Man. I’ma holler at you later,” Bill huffed. Adrenaline raced through his veins like a NASCAR competitor.
“Bill. Remember what I said, Dawg. Just chill. Don’t do nothing stupid.”
If he were in Bill’s shoes, this might be the one time he broke his own cardinal rule: never lay hands on a female. Riley didn’t want to see his boy go to jail for domestic violence, but this time, Samantha had it coming after all she had done.
“I hear you, Bruh. I hear ya’,” Bill said.
He ended the call, barely cut off the ignition, threw his Hummer into park, and hopped out. His heart raced at an uncontrollable rate as he rushed up the three steps in one leap and pulled open the massive, cast-iron and smoked glass double doors. Bill was breathing like a bull when he stormed through the front door and stopped at the foyer.
“Samantha! What the hell? You put that crap on Facebook?!” he yelled as he stepped inside.
His thunderous baritone was filled with rage as it echoed and bounced off the vaulted ceiling and brightly colored walls. With wild, desperate eyes, he searched the room for his wife, then headed to the spiral staircase when he didn’t see her.
“Samantha! I know you’re here! What the hell were you thinking?!” he yelled up toward the second level of their lavish home. Spittle fanned out in every direction as he fired off his words.
Moments later, Samantha strutted into view. Satisfaction was written all over her face. “I told you Saturday night that I was just getting started. I guess you thought sneaking outta here, like the true punk you are, was gonna somehow make this all go away. Umph! I knew you was screwing that tramp! I just knew it; I felt it in my gut! Can’t deny it now, can you?!” she yelled back from upstairs.
The smirk on her face was unapologetic. With her arms spread on both sides, she swiveled her neck as she leaned over the banister and taunted Bill even more.
“You nasty, cheating dog! Now the whole world knows what a sleaze you are!” Samantha’s voice was thick with hatred. She twisted her face and looked down at him with a menacing glare.
Rage tore through every fiber in Bill’s body as he looked up at her. He was ready to kill.
His cell phone rang and he considered ignoring the call, but figured he couldn’t. Clients had been calling nonstop since the posts went live. With his eyes still glued to his wife, he snatched the phone from his waist, then pulled it up to focus on the screen. It was his boss, Gary Watson. He had to decompress and pull himself together—quickly.
Gary Watson was a grumpy old man who ruled his family-owned finance firm with a hawk-like eye that rarely missed a thing.
“Hello?” Bill struggled to calm himself. He had to handle Gary just right.
“Bill. We’re all very concerned about these social media postings,” Gary said.
“Yes, Mister Watson. This is all just a big misunderstanding. Kelly and I are—”
“The board has decided to launch an investigation,” Gary said firmly, cutting Bill off. “We’re placing you on leave pending the outcome.”
“Yes, Sir,” Bill said.
Bill’s heart thudded so loudly, he feared his boss would hear it through the phone. It had been bad enough that a house full of people saw the video, but now, with everything prominently on display for the world to see on social media, Bill felt he had no leg to stand on. He’d have to get an attorney to help clean up this mess and hopefully save his job.
“We’re in the business of protecting our clients’ assets. How does it look to have your inappropriate personal business spread across social media for everyone to see? It’s very unprofessional, not to mention irresponsible. We’ve talked with Ms. Anderson as well. There is a morality clause in your contracts,” he said.
Ms. Anderson was Kelly Anderson, Bill’s coworker, and mistress. Bill palmed his forehead as he listened to his boss. But his mind raced with the many ways he could possibly kill his wife with his bare hands.
She had gone too far this time. Seven-figure jobs didn’t come along often.
With his eyes closed, he was instantly transported to that moment, nearly two hours earlier, when he was in his office at work. Riley had called and dropped the bombshell.
“Dude. I see you and Sam still at it. I know she’s pissed, but damn, Dawg, why she call you out like that, and on Facebook too?”
“What you talking about, Playboy?” Bill had asked coolly. He didn’t like the sound of Riley’s question. He hated social media sites and used them only for business and networking purposes.
“Oh, snap! You ain’t seen that shit yet?!” Riley yelled. “See, this is why you need to have more control over your woman and what she does.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
By day, Pat Tucker works as a radio news director in Houston, Texas. By night, she is a talented writer with a knack for telling page-turning stories. A former TV news reporter, she draws on her background to craft stories readers will love. She is the author of seven novels and has participated in three anthologies, including New York Times bestselling author Zane’s Caramel Flava. A graduate of San Jose State University, Pat is a member of the National and Houston Association of Black Journalists and Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. She is married with two children.
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ALSO BY PAT TUCKER
Free Fridays
Somebody Has to Pay
The Cocktail Club
Sideline Scandals
Party Girl
Daddy’s Maybe
Lachez (an original e-book)
Football Widows
Daddy By Default
BOOKS WRITTEN WITH EARL SEWELL
Loyalty Among Friends
A Social Affair
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Strebor Books
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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
© 2016 by Pat Tucker
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means whatsoever. For information address Strebor Books, P.O. Box 6505, Largo, MD 20792.
ISBN 978-1-59309-682-3
ISBN 978-1-50111-951-4 (ebook)
LCCN 2016948697
First Strebor Books trade paperback edition November 2016
Cover design: www.mariondesigns.com
Cover photograph: © Keith Saunders/Keith Saunders Photos
Cover design by Marion Designs
Cover photograph by Keith Saunders Photography
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