Southern Love

by Synithia Williams

  She shook her head, touched by his concern. “No. I just remembered everything that happened last night.”

  He frowned. “I wish I had gotten here sooner.”

  “Please don’t start that. What happened last night was unexpected to everyone — especially me. I really don’t want to start the ‘If I’d only’ crap.”

  “I can’t help it. I could tell he was angry after our dance. I never should have let you leave with him.”

  It was her turn to frown. “And cause a scene at the Ball? I don’t think so. It would have been much worse.”

  “I doubt it. He wouldn’t hit you in front of other people.”

  She considered that. “Maybe you’re right. Either way, it’s over now. I don’t want to think about it.”

  He gently touched a bruise on her face. “I could kill him for what he did to you.”

  She smiled slightly. “I appreciate that, but if you killed him, you’d go to jail. Then I’d never get to spend the night with you again.”

  Malcolm grimaced. “Last night wasn’t what I expected for our first night together.”

  “It may have started all wrong, but it ended perfectly.” She pulled him down to kiss her.

  It was true. The trip to the hospital had been awful. They wanted her to press charges, but she’d refused. She didn’t condone what Brad had done, but she understood his anger. He probably regretted his actions. She just wanted the situation to end. Pressing charges would draw it out.

  Malcolm had stood beside her the entire time. He’d taken the accusing looks in stride, even though Kenyatta assured the emergency room staff that he wasn’t the one who attacked her. Afterwards, she’d been exhausted and ready to go home. She was afraid he would drop her off and leave but was more afraid to ask him to stay, so she was relieved when he offered to stay with her. They made a stop at his house for clothes before driving back to her house. He helped her wash up, change into her pajamas and put her in bed. They’d spent the entire night in each other’s arms.

  His kiss, which began softly, became more urgent. Desire stirred in her veins when the doorbell rang. The both froze before Malcolm jumped from the bed. She gave an appreciative glance at his bare chest before getting out of bed and looking for a bathrobe.

  “It’s not Brad. I’m sure of it,” she said.

  “For his sake, I hope not.” Malcolm replied before sprinting down the stairs to answer the front door still shirtless.

  Kenyatta put on her robe and walked down the stairs after him. He had already opened the door. She couldn’t see who it was, but heard Carol’s very surprised voice.

  “Um … I was checking on, um, Kenyatta?” she stammered. “I can … I can just come back later.”

  Malcolm visibly relaxed. He stepped back and opened the door for her to enter.

  “She’s up,” he said as he turned to look at Kenyatta at the bottom of the stairs.

  “You’re the one who tipped me off last night.” Malcolm said, as Carol came into the house.

  “Tipped you off, how did I do that?” she asked. Then she got a good look at Kenyatta. “Oh my God, Kenyatta! What happened?”

  She rushed over to Kenyatta.

  Malcolm answered. “You thought that he was on edge, so I came by to check on Kenyatta. It was lucky I got here when I did. If I hadn’t, it might have been a lot worse.”

  Kenyatta looked at her friend. “I’m fine, Carol. Just a bit shaken up.”

  Carol took in Kenyatta’s swollen face and didn’t look convinced. Tears fell from her eyes, and Kenyatta reached out to hug her friend. “I’m fine. Really.”

  “Oh, God, Kenyatta. I thought I recognized the signs, but I didn’t want to believe it. Why … how long … why didn’t you tell me?”

  Kenyatta hugged Carol again before leading her to the couch. They sat down, and Kenyatta gave her a reassuring smile.

  “It was the first time he’d ever hit me, Carol. I would not have stayed with him if he’d done this before.”

  Carol looked at Kenyatta for a few seconds before nodding, and Kenyatta knew she was deciding whether to believe her.

  “But why would he do this now? I know you said things weren’t going well. Was it because you were having doubts?”

  Kenyatta sighed and looked at Malcolm. “He knew that something was going on between me and Malcolm.”

  “What?” Carol looked from her friend to the half-naked man in the room.

  Malcolm cleared his throat. “I’ll just get dressed and give you two some privacy.” He walked over to Kenyatta and kissed the top of her head. “If anyone comes to the door, wait for me.”

  Kenyatta nodded. Carol watched him go with her mouth hanging open. Kenyatta knew she had a lot of explaining to do.

  “What the hell is going on here?” Carol asked as soon as Malcolm left the room.

  Kenyatta chuckled. “You know I’ve been attracted to Malcolm since I started working for him.”

  “I know that, but I didn’t think there was any more to it.”

  “There wasn’t for a long time, but it turns out he feels the same way about me. Things have been … tense between us lately.”

  “Tense how? Girl, you need to give me some details.” Carol crossed her legs and arms and sat back on the couch.

  Kenyatta sighed with mock exasperation, and Carol waited expectantly. She explained everything that happened before and after Florida. Carol’s eyes grew wider as the story went on.

  “We had sex on my desk Friday afternoon. Unfortunately, Brad heard everything through my phone. That’s what drove him over the edge,” Kenyatta finished.

  “What! You had sex on your desk?” Carol screeched.

  “Shhh, I don’t need the entire neighborhood to know.”

  “To hell with the neighborhood. You need to provide me with all the gushy details.” Carol sat up, grinning from ear to ear.

  Kenyatta could only laugh. Any other time, Carol’s prying would annoy her, but today it didn’t bother her. She was touched that her friend had come by so early to check on her given how everyone teased Carol constantly for her insistence on not going anywhere before noon. The fact that she was there, at eight in the morning, made it clear she had been worried about Kenyatta.

  Kenyatta shook her head and held up a hand. “I’m not giving you all the details.”

  “Looking at him, shoot … I can guess.” Her eyes wandered to the stairs before returning to Kenyatta. “I can’t believe you went through all of that and didn’t say anything to us.”

  Kenyatta shrugged. “I thought I was being foolish over Malcolm. I felt stupid and didn’t want anyone to know. Now I know that what we felt … still feel, isn’t crazy or out of control.”

  “It’s out of control if you’re getting in on in the middle of the afternoon on your desk,” Carol teased.

  “Stop it, I’m being serious.” Kenyatta playfully hit her friend’s shoulder.

  “I hope you are. For all that you’ve been through I hope it was worth it.” She leaned in close to her friend. “Was it?”

  Kenyatta blushed. “Yes, dammit, it was worth it.”

  They both laughed and hugged each other. They were just girlfriends enjoying the moment, but when Kenyatta winced with pain, Carol became serious.

  “You need to report Brad and get a restraining order.”

  Kenyatta shook her head before Carol finished her sentence. “No, I’m not doing that.” She held up her hand before Carol could say more. “I’m not excusing what he did, by no means, but look at the situation. He thought we were trying to work things out. I’d pushed him away for such a long time. I always had an excuse for why we shouldn’t sleep together. For him to hear me having sex with another man must have driven him over the edge. I can forgive him this one time so that we can both move on.
”

  Carol didn’t look happy. “That’s stupid, Kenyatta. If he hit you once, he’ll hit you again. You need to report him.”

  “When is he going to hit me? We’re through, and while I’m not sure where this is going with Malcolm, I won’t be going back to Brad. He won’t have a chance for a repeat performance. I won’t ruin his life by putting this on his record when he obviously reacted out of hurt and jealousy.”

  “Kenyatta, that wasn’t just hurt and jealousy. I’ve always thought Brad was overprotective and possessive. I don’t think this is a one-time deal. You need to start the paper trail. Remember your advice to me.” Carol was repeating to Kenyatta the same thing Kenyatta had said to her when she’d been in an abusive relationship.

  Kenyatta was adamant. “No, Brad isn’t like Rodrick. He was jealous and hurt, but he isn’t a batterer. We can move on from this. I’m sure he’s upset about his behavior. There’s no need to make a big issue out of this.”

  “But … ”

  Kenyatta held up her hands. “No buts. I’m serious about this. I feel terrible for not breaking it off with Brad when I should have. I hate what he did, but I can understand it. I don’t want to see him again, and I’m sure he’ll respect that.”

  Carol gave her friend a look of disbelief but didn’t say anything more. Kenyatta let out a sigh of relief when Malcolm came back into the room. Kenyatta thought he looked sexier in gray pajama bottoms and a T-shirt than he ever did in a business suit.

  “Well, I think I should go,” Carol said suddenly.

  Kenyatta gave her a surprised look. “So soon? You just got here.”

  “I just wanted to check on you, but I can see that Malcolm is taking good care of you.” She stood up and turned back to Kenyatta.

  “I’ll call you later.” She leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Take care of yourself. And think about what I said. Believe me, I’ve been there. Better safe than sorry.”

  Kenyatta sighed. “I know, Carol. I’ll think about it.”

  From the look on her face, it was obvious Carol didn’t believe her. She turned to Malcolm and sized him up with one look. Kenyatta knew Carol would have plenty to say when he wasn’t around.

  “It was nice to see you, Malcolm. I would have preferred under different circumstances. However, we will talk more later.”

  He nodded. “I look forward to it.”

  “Bye, Ken.” Carol gave Kenyatta one last hug before she left.

  Kenyatta sighed and lay back on the couch. Her friend’s intentions touched her, but she wasn’t about to get a restraining order. She felt sure Brad had only acted out of hurt and jealousy. How would she have reacted if she had heard her fiancé making love on the other end of the phone when they were supposed to be working on their relationship? She wouldn’t put a domestic violence charge on his record over something for which she was partially responsible.

  “What did Carol ask you to think about?” Malcolm asked. He sat next to her and she leaned over onto his chest. His arms automatically went around her, and a sense of security she’d never experienced in Brad’s embrace surrounded her.

  “It was nothing. She just wants me to take care of myself and stay away from Brad,” she lied. She knew Malcolm would agree with Carol and wasn’t in the mood to have that conversation again.

  “Do you plan to see him again?”

  “No! God, no! Not after last night. I’m sure I’m the last person he wants to see, and he’s probably mortified about what he did. He’ll call me to apologize, but I doubt we’ll see each other again.”

  “You’re very optimistic.”

  Kenyatta sat up. “Why shouldn’t I be? I don’t think Brad will want to face me after what he did.”

  Malcolm looked skeptical. “He said he wasn’t giving up and that this wasn’t over. That sounds like a threat to me.”

  Kenyatta shook her head. “It was the heat of the moment. He was still upset. I think we should just forget the entire episode and move on. I won’t even talk to him when he calls to apologize.”

  “Kenyatta, I usually agree with your decisions, but not in this case — ”

  “Can we just drop it?” she cut in sharply. She was tired of the whole mess. Her face hurt, her body hurt, and she wasn’t in the mood to think about tomorrow or Brad. For now, she just needed to believe the incident was over and wouldn’t come up again.

  Malcolm took her back into his arms. “Carol is a good friend. She was really worried about you.”

  Kenyatta smiled. “I know. She can be a bit self-absorbed, but I know if I ever need her, she’s got my back.”

  “How did you two meet?”

  The smile left Kenyatta’s face. “In college. We were sleeping with the same guy.”

  “What?”

  She hugged him closer. “Our friendship is a bit unorthodox, but she and Angie are like sisters to me. Angie is one of the other girls Robert slept with.”

  Malcolm shook his head. “And you guys became good friends?”

  She laughed at the disbelief in his voice. “Yes. Robert was a player. I’m surprised his picture isn’t beside the word in the dictionary. He had a thing for virgins, which I was at the time. He said he loved me, and I was the only one he cared for. I was nineteen and thought I would meet my husband in college. That’s how it worked for my mother, so why wouldn’t it work that way for me? Long story short, he fed that same story to every virgin on campus. I was so naïve; it was easy for him to charm the panties off me. I gave him my virginity and found out two months later he was sleeping with at least five other women just in my dorm. I felt like a fool.”

  Malcolm’s arms tightened around her. “How did you find out?”

  Her smile returned. “Carol found out. She came to me one day and told me that Robert was sleeping with her and half the campus. I thought she wanted to fight, but she wanted revenge. I was so hurt, but I agreed to her plan. She’d already enlisted Angie, and the three of us planned it. Carol invited him over and after he fell asleep, we called a guy friend of ours, Tony, over to climb in bed with him. Everyone new Tony, he’d outed a football player when they were caught after homecoming. We took pictures, broke into Robert’s e-mail and spread the pictures using his own e-mail. Robert transferred the next semester.”

  Malcolm’s jaw dropped. “Wow! Remind me to never get on your bad side.”

  She laughed, but there was little humor in it. “In hindsight it was really stupid, but I was young … and angry. I’ve moved past childish games. Now I just guard my heart.”

  Malcolm turned her face up so that she had to look into his eyes. “Well, you don’t have to guard it with me. Is Robert the reason why you’re afraid I only want you for sex?”

  She looked away. “He’s not the only reason, but yes he’s a big part of it.”

  Malcolm sighed. “I know there are men out there who only use women for their personal pleasure. I won’t lie, my brother’s one of them.” She stiffened and quickly turned back to look at him. He shook his head. “I’m not my brother.”

  “All of the women you’ve dated.”

  “Yes, I have dated a lot of women. But, I haven’t had a serious relationship in years. I work long hours and travel a lot. It was easier to have superficial relationships when I didn’t think I had the time to work on a real relationship.” He took her hand and placed it on his chest. “But I don’t think that way anymore. I don’t want a superficial relationship with you. I only want to make you happy, Kenyatta.”

  Warmth and happiness spread through her and she smiled. “It would make me happy to stay here, like this, all day.”

  Malcolm kissed her forehead. “I think I can make that happen.”

  Chapter 29

  Kenyatta was sleeping on the couch when a frantic knock at her door late that afternoon awakened her. Her heart rate jumped in
to overdrive. What if it was Brad? Everything he’d done to her the previous night flooded her mind, but how he’d looked when hitting her stood out the most. As if he enjoyed it. How could she have overlooked those signs? Was her judgment in men that bad?

  She looked at Malcolm dozing beside her, and her heart slowed down. He’d stayed with her all day and had taken such good care of her. He was caring and considerate, but would it last? Would he disappoint her too?

  There was another frantic knock at the door before her doorbell chimed repeatedly.

  Malcolm jerked awake and reached for her. “Don’t get up. I’ll answer it.”

  He went to the door and Kenyatta held her breath. She hoped it wasn’t Brad. He hadn’t called to apologize, and she certainly didn’t want to see him. The more she thought about the night before, the more she realized she’d been smart to have reservations about marrying him.

  “Where is my daughter?”

  Kenyatta heard her mother’s voice and cringed. Damn, Carol, you had to tell my parents. Before she could get up, her mother was standing in front of her with her father right behind.

  “Oh, my God, Kenyatta! Brad did this to you? I didn’t believe it when Carol called — ” Her mother began to cry. “Oh, sweetheart. I am so sorry. If I’d known — ”

  “Mom, please don’t cry.” Kenyatta took her mom in her arms. “Neither of us knew Brad was capable of this. I wouldn’t have stayed if he’d hit me before.”

  Her mother wiped her eyes, but the tears continued to flow. “I know you wouldn’t have, baby, but I can’t stand to think that you could have married him.” She held Kenyatta’s face in her hands. “Oh, Kenyatta. You look terrible!”

  “That’s enough, Adele,” her dad said. “We were all fooled.”

  He sat down on the other side of Kenyatta and took her hand. “You swear he’s never hit you before?”

  Kenyatta nodded. “Yes, Dad. This was the first and only time. We’re finished.”

  “Kenyatta, I saw the signs, but I thought I was overreacting. I was always a bit concerned about his lack of support for your career, but I thought he was a good man and that you two would work things out. I admit that his reaction to your new job offer made me leery, but it was your life, and you needed to make your own decisions.” He paused, and Kenyatta’s heart ached when she saw tears in his eyes. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”