Her First

by Mckenzie, Diamond

“By the way, I wasn’t going to call your parents, because I don’t have the number.”

  She stood with her hand on her hip. “You tricked me.”

  He turned around and winked. “No dear, I would never do that.”

  She watched him walk to his car. “Call me later if you feel like it.”

  “I’m just going to go back in there and finish watching that movie. They show the best movies on that channel.”

  “What channel is that?” Ethan asked just out of curiosity.

  “Lifetime,” Madison replied before shutting the door.

  Chapter 12

  Charlotte screamed through the phone. “He did what?”

  “I’m not repeating myself. People are beginning to come into the office and I don’t need Owen or anybody else in my business,” Madison said as she logged onto her computer.

  “Madison, do I need to call a doctor and have you committed?”

  “We only have to do it for a few more months.”

  “What if you guys really do work out? What then?”

  People walked by Madison’s desk with their morning coffee. “Girl, I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. For now, I’m going with the flow.”

  “Okay, Ms. Going With the flow. I think you’ve bitten off more than you can chew with those lying teeth of yours.”

  Madison skimmed through her email. “You know Char; I don’t know why I even tell you anything. You’re always so negative.”

  “Not negative, just realistic.”

  “Whatever. Here comes Owen. Let me get off this phone.”

  After hanging up with Charlotte, she pretended to be busy. Owen made a beeline straight towards her.

  “Good morning, Madison.”

  She looked up from her computer and smiled. “Good morning, Owen.”

  “Did you have a good evening?”

  Madison waved her hand in the air and in her most proper voice said, “Oh I had a lovely evening.”

  Owen ran up and grabbed her hand. “Let me see that rock.”

  “You like.”

  “Yes, but what happened to your other ring?”

  With a smug look on her face, she responded, “He wanted to upgrade.”

  Owen wouldn’t let go of her hand. “You have a good man. Don’t mess up.”

  “You can let go of my hand now.”

  Owen took her hand and placed it on her desk. “You’re a lucky woman,” he said as he walked away.

  “Yes, I am.”

  Her email indicator beeped to inform her of incoming mail. It was a message from her boss. What does he want? she thought. She clicked on it and skimmed through it.

  Another meeting? How many meetings will we have on the same issue? I swear these people up here like to meet just for the sake of having a meeting.

  Madison grabbed her pen and pad and headed to her meeting.

  ***

  Ethan watched Joyce as she closed his office door behind her and sat in the chair across from his desk.

  “Uh oh. Whenever you shut the door, I know I’m in trouble,” he teased.

  “I spoke with Frederick while you were at lunch. He told me to keep an eye on you. I asked him a few questions.”

  “I bet you did.”

  She sat on the edge of her chair. “All I want to know is when will I get to meet this Madison?”

  “Soon. Everybody will meet her real soon.”

  “I hope she’s not like Sarah. Sarah was a gold digging-”

  “Don’t even go there,” Ethan interrupted.

  “She was and you know it. You were blind to her evilness at first. I don’t believe in voodoo, but I was about to do something to get rid of her.”

  Ethan laughed. “She was definitely a character. Madison is nothing like Sarah. They are totally opposite.”

  “As long as you’re happy.”

  “I am.”

  Joyce stood up. “I’ll let you get back to work then. You know I have to keep tabs on you.”

  “Between you and Frederick, I’m surprised I have any privacy.”

  “You don’t,” Joyce said as she walked out the door.

  Ethan was no longer able to concentrate on work. He tried to prepare a presentation, but the only thing he could visualize was Madison sandwiched between him and the couch.

  He shifted in his seat at the thought. I don’t know if I made the right decision about insisting we live under the same roof. I only wanted to prove how silly her scheme to fool her family was and it might have backfired.

  ***

  “How was your day?” Ethan’s sexy baritone voice vibrated through Madison’s cell phone.

  “Busy. I had back to back meetings,” Madison said as she pulled into her driveway and turned off the ignition.

  “When do you want to move your stuff?”

  “You don’t waste time do you?” She got out of her car with her laptop and purse. She almost dropped her phone. “Oops.”

  “Did I catch you at a bad time?”

  “I just got home.”

  “Call me on my cell phone when you get settled in and we can discuss your move date.”

  “Bye.” She hit the end button on the phone. Her keys fell to the ground. “Darn it.”

  When she got inside she dropped her keys and purse on the couch. After washing up and changing into a jogging suit, she made herself a turkey sandwich.

  She sat down at the kitchen table. I didn’t think he was really serious about us living together, she thought. I was just playing along with him. The doorbell rang before she could take the first bite.

  “This better not be Ethan,” she shouted.

  Chapter 13

  Madison opened the door without looking through the peephole. She was shocked to see her sisters, Pam and Adrienne, standing there.

  Pam was the first to speak. “Do you always open the door without looking to see who’s on the other side?”

  “I thought y’all were somebody else,” Madison replied as she hugged her sisters as they each walked through the doorway.

  Adrienne walked towards the living room and said, “Obviously.”

  After closing the door, Madison followed them to the living room. “Why are y’all here?”

  Adrienne and Pam exchanged glances. Pam asked, “When do we need an invitation?”

  Adrienne added, “Oh, I forgot, since she married her invisible husband.”

  “He’s not invisible anymore. You’ve seen him with your own two eyes. Remember?” Madison reminded her sister.

  “Ummm, hmmm,” Adrienne moaned.

  “Whatever. You normally call and I was eating.”

  “Don’t let us stop you,” Adrienne said.

  “Sis, we were only concerned,” Pam said as she rolled her eyes at Adrienne. “No one in the family has heard from you since our Sunday dinner.”

  “Let’s continue this conversation in the kitchen,” Madison said as she led her sisters into the kitchen. “Would you ladies like a sandwich?”

  They both responded, “No.”

  Madison grabbed a Sprite from the refrigerator then sat down and took a few bites out of her sandwich as her sisters sat watching her.

  Adrienne cleared her throat a couple of times, stood up, and said, “I’ll be back. I need to use the bathroom.”

  After she left the room, Pam started talking. “What’s going on, Madison?”

  She took a sip of her Sprite. “Nothing at all. I’ve been working late.”

  “Are you sure? Adrienne insists that something isn’t right with your relationship.”

  “Adrienne needs to mind her own business.”

  “Did I hear my name?” Adrienne asked as she took a seat.

  Madison took the last bite of her sandwich. “That was quick.”

  “It was a false alarm.”

  Pam intervened. “I was telling her our concerns about her relationship.”

  “And I was telling Pam, y’all need to stay out of my business,” Madison said.

  Adrie
nne stood up. “If everything was fine, you wouldn’t be on the defensive.”

  “Sit down, Adrienne. I’m with Madison, you need to chill.”

  Adrienne frowned, but sat down. Madison felt bad about lying to them. After seeing how they acted, she knew it was too late to tell them the truth.

  “Look, Ethan and I are fine. I’m missing him. He’s hardly ever here.”

  Pam got up and took a Sprite out of the refrigerator. “Do y’all want one?”

  Adrienne responded, “Sure.”

  Madison held her can up.

  Pam passed a drink to Adrienne. “Madison, Gerald said Ethan has a four bedroom house in Plano,” Pam came out and said.

  “How does he know that?” Madison said, feeling a knot form in the pit of her stomach.

  Between sips, Adrienne added, “You know Gerald thinks he’s Inspector Gadget.”

  Madison remained quiet. She felt her world crashing in on her.

  Pam continued, “When will we be invited over for dinner?”

  She wanted to crawl under the table. “I’ll have to check with Ethan. He’s in and out of town, so it’ll have to be a weekend he’s here.”

  Adrienne stood up and threw her can in the trash. “We all want to get to know our new brother-in-law; so the sooner, the better.”

  Madison was losing her patience. “It’ll be soon. I’ll call him tonight and then let everyone know.”

  Pam looked at her watch. “It’s getting late and I have to drop off Adrienne off at the other end of town.”

  They all stood up. They hugged each other. Madison walked them to the front door. Adrienne lagged behind.

  “Pam, I’ll meet you at the car,” Adrienne said as she turned around and faced Madison. “Why isn’t any of his stuff in your bedroom?”

  Madison was livid. “Why were you going through my stuff?”

  “I wasn’t. I only wanted to see your reaction.” She turned and headed out the door. “Bye Sis.”

  Madison didn’t respond. She could only imagine what was going through Adrienne’s mind.

  I need to do something quick, Madison thought, that sister of mine is relentless.

  Chapter 14

  As he laid across his California king sized mattress layered in navy blue linen, Ethan decided to put his plan into effect. He planned on spending most of his free time with Madison. He sat up and picked up the phone from his nightstand and dialed her number. He laid on his back, waiting for her to answer.

  “Hello,” she said.

  “Hi, Sweetie. Are you all settled in?” he asked her.

  “I sure am. Actually, I was about to call you.”

  “Perfect timing.” His stomach had butterflies.

  “I need to move some of my stuff over there as soon as possible.”

  “Your attitude sure changed quick.”

  “I had some unexpected visitors yesterday and let’s just say they convinced me you were right.”

  “Good. How about this weekend? That’ll give you a few days to get your things together.”

  “Sounds like a plan.”

  Ethan sat straight up in bed. “What are you wearing?”

  Madison laughed. “Don’t even try going there with me.”

  “Now whose mind is in the gutter? I was only looking out for you.”

  “Um huh. Tell me anything.”

  Ethan dropped the bass in his voice. “Did you miss me?”

  He could hear her giggle and it turned him on.

  “Did you miss me?” Madison teased.

  “Yes. I thought about your kisses and the way your body felt undermine ALL DAY LONG.”

  “Prove it.”

  “Madison, don’t play. I’ll be over there before you can hang up the phone.” They both laughed.

  “All you have to do is answer one question and you’ll be off the hook.”

  Ethan smiled. “What dear?”

  “What are you wearing?”

  He sang, “I have my t-shirt and my boxers on.” Neither could stop laughing.

  “I need to get some sleep. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

  “I knew you couldn’t hang. The t-shirt did it to you didn’t it?”

  “No, it was imagining you in those boxers. Bye.” She hung up.

  Ethan placed the phone on the nightstand, turned over, and went to bed with a smile on his face and his manhood at attention.

  ***

  Madison showered and as she got dressed, she couldn’t stop singing one of Katy Perry's new songs. “This is going to be a great day,” she said as she grabbed her purse and laptop and headed out the door.

  Traffic was much, much lighter than usual as she drove to work. And today she seemed to make it without getting caught by a single red light so it only took her thirty minutes instead of the usual hour to get to her job.

  Few people were in the office when she arrived. She went into the lunchroom and started the coffee pot to make a fresh pot of coffee. While she waited, she attempted to get a health bar out of the vending machine, but it got caught on one of the claws and wouldn’t drop. She tried beating on the machine to release the bar.

  “Do you need some help with that?” Owen asked as he entered the lunchroom.

  Frustrated, Madison grunted and responded, “If you don’t mind. It took all of my change.”

  Together they shoved the machine in different directions until the bar fell down.

  Owen wiped the sweat from his forehead. “Girl, that better be the best bar you’ve ever eaten.”

  “Thanks. I owe you one. I’ll treat you to lunch next week.”

  She poured them both a cup of coffee and they walked to their desks. Owen looked around the room. “I guess we’re the only ones here.”

  Madison looked at the clock. “It’s only seven thirty. People will start piling in here soon.”

  Owen acted as if he wanted to linger, but instead he said, “I have a report to finish before nine and I didn’t get all of the information I needed until last night.”

  “I hate when that happens. Then they get upset when you don’t have it ready for their weekly meeting.”

  “I know. When I win the lottery, everybody up here can kiss my...” He took his right hand and patted his right butt cheek as he walked away.

  “Owen, you don’t have it all,” she said out of his earshot.

  Madison went through her emails. She had an e-greeting from Ethan. After opening it, she picked up the phone and dialed his office number.

  “Hello,” he answered.

  He barely got his words out before she blurted out, “You’re the sweetest man I know.”

  “I see you got my email.”

  “Yes and it made my day. I can meet you around one for lunch,” she responded to the question in his e-greeting. She picked up her pen and doodled on her yellow steno pad.

  “Okay. I’ll swing by and pick you up.”

  “Then I’ll see you a one o’clock.”

  “Okay. Bye, Sweetie.”

  “Bye.”

  Madison was still holding the phone with a glazed look in her eyes when Mya stopped by her desk.

  “I remember those days,” Mya said, gazing off as if reminiscing.

  “Oh. Hi Mya,” Madison said.

  Mya sat on the edge of Madison’s desk. “Owen told us about the ring.”

  A smile crossed Madison’s face. “I knew he couldn’t hold it for long.”

  Mya reached for her hand so she could get a good view. “Girl, I know my diamonds, and he spent a mint on this one.”

  Madison looked at her hand at different angles as the sparkle from her ring radiated. “You think so?”

  “I know so.” Mya stood up. “I’m running late for a meeting, so I better go.”

  After Mya walked away, Madison admired the ring Ethan had given her, and for the first time really felt as if she was actually married.

  Girl, you need to snap out of it. You’re beginning to believe the hype you’ve been dishing out.

 
Chapter 15

  The rest of the morning went by fast. Ethan met with his clients and sealed a multi-million dollar sale. Because of the signed contract he now possessed, North American Telecom would be handling all of the fast food chains phone communication in several states. His commission check for next month would be huge. He smiled as he drove to Madison’s job.

  While waiting at a red light, he reached over to the passenger’s seat and took a CD out of its case. He was feeling upbeat, but he wanted to set a romantic mood when he picked her up. He put on the latest Robin Thicke CD.

  He picked up his cell phone and dialed her number. Madison picked up on the second ring. “Hi, I’m parked in the front,” he told her.

  “I’ll be right down.” She grabbed her purse and sprinted toward the elevator. She couldn’t wait to see Ethan. After hanging up with her, he got out of his SUV and put his briefcase and some other items in the back seat. As he closed the back door, a beautiful petite woman with flowing blond hair walked over to him. He almost closed the door on his hand.

  “Ethan, fancy meeting you here,” she said.

  Ethan’s mouth stood wide open. “Sarah?”

  “In the flesh.” She twirled so he could observe how her two-piece navy blue suit accented the curves of her body.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “I have an interview for a management position at a company in this building. What are you doing here?”

  “I’m meeting someone for lunch.”

  “Whoever she is, she’s one lucky lady.”

  The last thing Ethan needed was for Madison to walk up and see him this close with one of his ex-girlfriends. “I’m the lucky one,” he commented. He glanced at the door several times to see if Madison was coming. “I don’t want to make you late for your interview.”

  Sarah winked. “Oh, I won’t be. I’m always early. Good thing too, or I would have missed seeing you.” She handed him a card. “Here’s my number if you ever want to catch up.”

  “Sarah, like I told you before, we don’t have anything else to talk about.”

  “Oh but we do.” She looked down at her watch. “I’ll be in touch.”